Luke and Leia's Excellent Adventure
by LPK9
Summary: A meeting between the Jedi High Council and Chancellor Palpatine is interrupted by two visitors from the future. Crack fic. ROTS AU. Time travel fix it, LPK9 style. Now a multi chapter fic involving Luke and Leia dashing through time and space interfering with timelines.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Star Wars

Chapter 1

_Jedi High Council Meeting Room_

_Jedi Temple_

_Coruscant_

_3 years into the Clone Wars_

"Jedi Kenobi will proceed to Utapau with a contingent of Clone troops. He will personally ensure the destruction of General Grievous. His death will be the beginning of the end for the Separatists, Chancellor Palpatine."

Chancellor Sheev Palpatine smiled politely at the dark skinned Jedi Master, "The plan is excellent, Master Windu. I look forward to the death of Grievous – not on my own behalf, but on behalf of the suffering peoples of the galaxy. This war cannot end too soon."

"Indeed, Chancellor," Anakin Skywalker murmured softly from behind Windu, "given that Grievous and Dooku entered Coruscanti space and abducted you, it is clear that the Separatists are growing desperate. We must stop them before they succeed in causing further suffering and turmoil."

"I am certain that General Kenobi will be successful," Palpatine said with a soft smile towards the man whom he was vigorously manipulating towards the Dark Side. "You defeated Dooku, Anakin, and your former master will defeat Grievous, and the galaxy will finally be at peace."

There was a sudden, strange surge in the Force and abruptly, shockingly, two slim forms appeared in the center of the room where before there had only been elegantly tiled floor.

The six Jedi Council members gasped collectively and leaped to their feet, their lightsabers lighting ominously at this bewildering incursion.

"Who are you?" Master Windu demanded harshly, stepping forward.

"Please, we mean you no harm," the young female said quickly, raising her hands meekly. She was lovely, with dark hair twisted up in an elaborate hairstyle, and she was attired in a green robe which fell to her feet. The young man at her side was short, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. He wore a simple black outfit and a lightsaber hung at his waist, though he did not draw it.

Palpatine's eyes narrowed just slightly. He could sense that the boy, at least, was a powerful and trained Light Side Force Sensitive.

"We're from the future," the youth exclaimed dramatically. "We're here to warn you!"

There was a throb of shock and the Jedi shot one another sidelong glances. As one, they lowered their lightsabers and switched them off, though they retained their focus on the young ones in their sights.

"Unlikely, that is," Master Yoda stated, jumping off of his chair and stumping forward a few steps. "Visitors from the future never heard of have I."

"Master Yoda!" the youth exclaimed in sudden delight dropping to one knee to face the old Jedi at closer to the old gnome's level. "Master Yoda. It's so good to see you again! You look so ... so young!"

"We've traveled back in time more than 20 years, Luke," the girl stated with a grin. "Of course he's younger."

"He's like 900 years old, Leia," the boy breathed, his blue eyes alight with excitement. "So 20 years isn't really that much for someone like him. You just look very green, Master, in a healthy way."

"Know me you do, young man?" Yoda demanded, his ancient face furrowed in bewilderment, and then responded matter-of-factly, "know you I do not."

"Of course not," Luke replied patiently. "Leia just said that we traveled back in time 25 years or so. You train me in the future, not now. But like I said, we need to warn you about said future, and I'm not sure how much time we have. We managed to open up a portal at an obscure Jedi Temple on Kashyyyk but we may only be here for 15 minutes or so."

"Or 15 hours, or 15 days, or 15 months, or 15 years," Leia added sarcastically. "Luke was only sure of the 15 part."

"And who knows, maybe they used a different numbering system, so maybe ..."

"Chancellor Palpatine," Obi-Wan interrupted quickly. "This appears to be Jedi business. Perhaps you will permit us to collect necessary information and inform you of the details later?"

"Certainly," Palpatine agreed. This situation was confusing and worrisome, and he needed to retreat to collect his thoughts.

"Palpatine!" Luke demanded, turning towards the Chancellor. "Really? Is it really you?"

The boy stepped closer and peered into Palpatine's face, then nodded with wide eyes, "Wow, it is you. You look ... you look great, your Highness. 20+ years from now you are a wrinkled mess!"

There was another collective gasp and Palpatine tightened his shields. He has worked for literally decades on his shielding and he was adept at playing the part of the wise but gentle politician with no Force abilities whatsoever.

"I'm afraid you are confused, young man," he commented with a courteous bow of the head. "Or, sadly, insane. I am Chancellor Palpatine of the Republic, not a monarch."

"Well," Leia replied with a roll of her dark brown eyes, "given that in the next month or so you will destroy the Jedi, topple the Republic, and crown yourself Emperor, I think we can just cut to the chase and call you Your Highness, _Emperor_ Palpatine."

Palpatine winced inwardly. This was so not good.

"These are grave charges, young lady," Master Windu stated. "You claim that the Chancellor overthrows the Jedi Order?"

"Yes," Luke explained flatly. "He's a Sith Lord."

There was a soft murmur and the Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Agen Kolar moved towards the entrance of the room, blocking Palpatine's escape. Or the young intruders' escape. Basically, everyone needed to stay put for now.

"Really, Masters, can you not see how absurd this is?" Palpatine demanded, his tone sorrowful. "These two young people are either liars or have escaped from a mental institution. Whatever brought them here no doubt scrambled their brains. All I care for is the welfare of the Republic!"

"And you have, over the last few years, garnered more and more emergency power, Chancellor," Kenobi said gravely. "We intend no immediate harm to you, Palpatine, but given these substantial accusations, we must investigate."

"Really, Master Kenobi," Palpatine began, only to be interrupted again by the increasingly annoying young man.

"Ben? Ben Kenobi?"

"I am known as Obi-Wan Kenobi," the ginger haired Jedi replied cautiously.

Luke shook his head, "Well, if Master Yoda looks young, and Palpatine looks great, you look amazing. Twenty years on Tatooine definitely didn't do you any good at all."

"You are suggesting that I spend twenty years on Tatooine?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes wide. "That seems most unlikely."

"Well, you were looking after me," Luke began, then shook his head, "It's complicated and we don't have much time. Again, your Chancellor is a Sith Lord."

"Absurd. I most certainly am not."

"It _is _absurd," Anakin snapped, "Even if the Chancellor is a Sith, which seems impossible, how could one man destroy the Jedi Order alone? There are thousands of us!"

Both Luke and Leia stared gravely at the tall, dark blond man with all too familiar blue eyes.

"He used the Clones," Leia explained carefully, her eyes now fixed on Palpatine. "We just learned more details in the past few months. A clone commander named Rex – I'm not sure if you know him?"

"Of course we know him!" Anakin retorted indignantly.

Luke gazed at the man who was his biological father, "Commander Rex told us that the clones had inhibitor chips implanted in their brains during their creation."

"Yes," Kenobi agreed in a puzzled tone, "to lower their aggression and to enable them to obey orders readily, to form a cohesive fighting unit."

Leia shook her head, her expression pained, "No. Order 66 was implanted in the chips – an order which forced the Clones to destroy the Jedi. Palpatine activated Order 66 the day that the Republic fell, and the Clones, compelled by their biochips, turned on the Jedi and slaughtered them. Rex had already had his removed so while he heard the command, he was not forced to obey it. But his fellow clones were. He managed to rescue Ahsoka Tano, who has become a very dear friend in the last few months."

There was a third collective gasp from the Jedi Masters, this one horrified.

"True, can this be?" Yoda murmured.

"The Dark Side has muddled our ability to discern what is happening," Windu replied slowly, his dark eyes fixed coldly on Palpatine. "But I sense truth in this young man's words."

"He may believe it to be true," Palpatine replied, struggling to retain his equanimity, "but he is confused. I am not a Force Sensitive, much less a Sith Lord, Master Yoda."

"Really?" Luke shot back, his eyes angry now. The boy grabbed his long sleeved shirt, ripped the front open, and dropped it on the floor. "Do you see these scars all over me, your Highness? You gave me those less than a year ago in our time. You bombarded me with Force Lightning while I screamed and writhed on the floor in agony. I came close to dying and spent weeks in recovery. Don't give me this bantha poodoo about being a sweet, innocent old man because you are indeed a Sith Master."

"Wow, Luke," Leia commented, her eyes on the youth's torso.

"What?" Luke demanded self consciously. "You've seen the scars."

"No, not that. It's just that Mara told me that you had been working out. She said that you had an eight pack, that you were shredded. She was right."

"Dear Sarlacc of Tatooine," Luke replied, blushing red even as he called the shirt back to his hand and hastily put it on, "I don't even want to know why my wife and my sister were discussing my, uh ..."

"I was worried about you," the girl replied, her smile gentle. "I'm glad you feel well enough to exercise extensively."

"Whatever these scars mean, I hardly have the capability to inflict them on you," Palpatine managed, a trifle desperately. He was powerful but Anakin had not yet fallen and there were six masters in the room. Yoda alone would be a worthy opponent. "Anakin, you know I would never do such a dreadful thing to anyone."

"The Chancellor has proven most loyal," Anakin replied, his blue eyes full of confusion. "He is correct – these are wild accusations from unknown individuals who, as he said, have come through some kind of bizarre and suspect experience. They may be here to deceive us."

"Now is the time, I guess," Leia murmured aloud to her twin.

"Anakin Skywalker," Luke stated gravely, taking a cautious step forward.

"Yes?" the young man replied with a suspicious expression on his face.

"This is ... I have to admit that this is weird and so ... so crazy. You look amazing. Leia, you have to admit he does look amazing."

Leia Organa rolled her eyes even as she nodded reluctantly, "Yes, he is one well put together man. It's obvious where you got your looks. You have the same eyes."

There was a 4th collective gasp.

"What are you suggesting?" Anakin demanded through stiff lips.

"I'm your son, Luke Skywalker," Luke declared. "And Leia is my twin sister and your daughter."

Anakin shot a horrified glance at Master Yoda even as his skin paled slightly, "You must have me mixed up with someone else. Jedi are not permitted to have, er, romantic associations of the type that would result in ... er ..."

"Are you three years into the Clone Wars?" Leia demanded fiercely, taking a step toward Anakin.

"Just a few weeks short of three years," Kenobi replied in a puzzled way. "Why?"

"Then I certainly hope, Anakin Skywalker, that you are aware that some woman is carrying your progeny because she must be close to popping."

"Unless," Luke added, his blue eyes dark with sorrow, "it was a one night stand of some kind."

"That would be so typical, actually," Leia agreed in a snide tone. "No attachments indeed. He probably is like one of those scruffy businessmen who have a one night liaison in every spaceport. Our mother is probably some hapless idiot who was seduced into ..."

"How dare you?!" Anakin thundered suddenly, causing his time traveling children to jump. "I would never betray Padme in that ..."

He trailed off, and blushed.

"Padme?" Leia demanded.

"Attached you are to Senator Amidala?" Yoda demanded.

"Did you procreate with her?" Obi-Wan chimed in, horrified.

A full minute passed in complete silence.

"Yes," Anakin said finally, throwing his hands in the air. "Yes, Padme and I were secretly married three years ago and she is indeed pregnant. I don't think she's carrying twins though."

"You apparently didn't know," Luke said softly. "You knew about me but not Leia."

"So I am in your future?" Anakin demanded.

The twins exchanged unhappy glances.

"Sort of. From a certain point of view," Luke replied cautiously.

Anakin's brow furrowed at these puzzling words, but he forged on, "What about Padme? Is she safe in your time? Is she all right?"

Luke stared into his father's desperate eyes, then shook his head slowly, "I have no memories of my mother, and Leia only has the barest fragments. We don't know what truly happened, but she ... she is dead and has been for many years."

A sudden, cataclysmic shock in the Force emanated from Anakin, one of horror and grief which rolled through the room with such power that both Luke and Leia winced in pain.

"My nightmares ... my nightmares," the young man cried out, his hands clutching his dark blond locks. "They are coming true. She's going to die. I can't lose her ..."

"Wait, Jedi Skywalker," Master Yoda said authoritatively. "Spoke to me you did of visions of death, of loss. Of your wife did you speak?"

The blue eyes of Anakin Skywalker were wild with distress and he nodded, "Every night I dream of her death. She dies in childbirth. I have to save her. I'll do _anything_ to save her."

"Oh." Leia said aloud.

It was but one syllable, but somehow the intonation drew the attention of all those present.

"Yes, oh," Luke agreed, his eyes a mixture of dread and compassion. "Don't say that, don't _ever _say that. Nothing, even her life, is worth selling out your soul."

Anakin Skywalker stared at his children from the future and shook his head to clear it, "What are you talking about? Selling my soul? What?"

"In our timeline, you were a Sith Lord," Luke said steadily. "You went by the name Darth Vader. You were second in command to Emperor Palpatine."

"I wouldn't ... I wouldn't do that," Anakin returned, sweat beading on his forehead. "I wouldn't turn to the Dark Side."

"Would you do it to save Padme?" Leia demanded, her eyes glittering with grief and anger. "Because you did turn, Anakin Skywalker. You turned to the Dark Side, slaughtered tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians alike, destroyed the remainder of the Jedi Order, and brought terror and death wherever you went. You tortured me twice and you cut off Luke's hand in a duel."

The man was gasping now, his teeth clenching his lower lip so hard that it drew blood, "I couldn't do such a thing. I don't believe it. You lie!"

"She doesn't lie," Luke said hesitantly, "though Leia is being rather on the brutal side. I don't know what happened because no one told us, but if you are dreaming of losing our mother in childbirth, if you are desperate to save her, then that may have been what precipitated your Fall."

"Attachment, dangerous it is," Master Yoda interpolated, feeling the need to weigh in on this conversation.

"Oh, be quiet, Master Yoda," Luke snapped in frustration, then heaved a deep sigh, struggling to control himself. "I'm sorry, Master. But please ... please don't say that. In the end, it was attachment that saved us all. My father, from my timeline, brought me to the Emperor. I refused to turn and Palpatine began torturing me with Force Lightning. In that moment, my father's love for me won out and he destroyed the Emperor and died in the process, ending the age of the Sith."

"But," Leia chimed in grimly, "we experienced 24 years of horror, the enslavement of Kashyyyk, the massacre of Myomar, and the complete destruction of the planet Alderaan. If you can change the future, if you can stop Palpatine and prevent our father from falling, I pray that you will."

"Alderaan was destroyed?" Kenobi murmured in horror.

Leia nodded, her eyes bright with unshed tears, "An armored space station, called the Death Star, was constructed by the Empire under Palpatine's orders. In the 19th year of the Empire, the Death Star turned its weapon on my home world of Alderaan, destroying it. I was a captive of the Empire at the time, and my then unknown father held me with his cruel grip as the superlaser destroyed my world."

Anakin stumbled back a horrified step, "I ... I ..."

The sudden sound of a lightsaber broke through their concentration. All turned as Sheev Palpatine decided that his plans were going to Chaos right before his eyes and he had better move now.

The red blade spun around and attacked the Jedi Masters blocking the entrance. Kit Fisto and Agen Kolar were taken by surprise, having been far too focused on the discussion with Skywalker. Fisto fell immediately and Kolar only managed to block twice before Palpatine's Juyo fighting style overcame the Zabrak male's defenses. He fell without a cry, his life lost in one moment of inattention.

But the two Masters' sacrifice was not in vain. Luke Skywalker, who had been keeping a surreptitious Force tendril on Palpatine, leaped over the heads of both Sith and Jedi and was now blocking the door, his green saber flashing. He and Palpatine exchanged but a few blows, Luke backing away slowly, even as the other Jedi moved toward the elderly Sith.

Palpatine abruptly somersaulted backwards and took refuge in an alcove. With his right hand he held his buzzing lightsaber, with the left he grabbed his comlink and turned it on, desperately.

"Come to the Jedi Council Chamber immediately," he ordered his personal squadron of guards who were waiting in the veranda of the Jedi Temple. "I am under attack!"

Yoda jumped forward and Palpatine defended himself vigorously. He had a wall to his back and he was one of the greatest swordsmen the galaxy had ever seen, even though these fools didn't know it.

Kenobi approached from the left and Darth Sidious lifted his hand, blasting him with Force Lightning. There were cries of astonishment from the remaining Jedi and he saw, dimly, the wide eyes and shocked face of Anakin Skywalker.

Well, this stunk. Anakin was a lost cause now. But he would prevail anyway. He was Darth Sidious surrounded by a bunch of foolish Light Siders. He would destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy and find another worthy apprentice. Maul was still out there, though in a semi-dismembered state, and he'd do in a pinch.

Palpatine used the Force to lift the comlink up to his mouth, even as he blasted the Jedi with his left hand and held them off with the lightsaber in his right hand.

"Clones," he began, switching his com to a full galaxy order, "initiate Order ..."

There was a horrifying howl, so loud that it drowned out his last words.

Palpatine's eyes shifted toward the door, where the young Skywalker from the future opened his mouth and howled again, a bloodcurdling sound which made his aged ears ring.

"I'm sorry, Chancellor," a voice responded through the comlink. "Could you please repeat that order?"

"Activate Order ..."

Another howl drowned out his words again and Palpatine grimaced first in rage, then in agony as his right butt cheek suddenly erupted in pain. He looked down in confusion, then plucked out the slender dart which had infiltrated his cloak and stuck into his posterior.

A quick glance upwards revealed Leia (Skywalker?) taking aim with another dart. The Emperor growled and knocked it out of her hand with the Force. Such a fool, to think that such a puny weapon ...

Wait a minute.

What was happening?

He was getting ... woozy ...

There were Jedi everywhere and flashing blades and he was trying to throw Force Lightning but his consciousness was fading because ...

Because ...

Because ...

The last thing he ever saw in this life was Anakin Skywalker, his face a contorted mess of grief and determination, swinging his blue blade down upon his mentor's neck.

And then, darkness.

Amid the heavy breathing of the males in the room, Leia Organa knelt down and carefully picked up both barbed darts, which she capped and replaced in her intricate hair piece.

"They each have a bulb of concentrated hypospray, strong enough to take down a rancor," Leia explained aloud to her shocked audience. "Luke's wife Mara is an ex-assassin and we've spent many happy hours throwing knives and poison darts. I thought it would be good to bring the darts along, just in case."

"We are most grateful for your assistance," Kenobi stated gravely, straightening from where he had been inspecting the dead forms of his fellow Jedi near the door. "What was that horrendous noise, young Luke?"

"Krayt dragon call," the youth replied, before turning his attention on his young father.

"Are you all right?" Luke asked compassionately.

Anakin Skywalker stared down at the dead form of Palpatine, "He was my mentor. I trusted him. I truly thought he cared about me, that he had my best interests at heart."

"We were all deceived, Jedi Skywalker," Mace Windu said gravely. "While we had some concerns that Palpatine was not all that he seemed to be, the reality that he was the Sith Lord we've been seeking for a full decade is astounding."

Anakin's eyes watered and he shook his head.

There was a soft touch on his arm and he turned to look down at the young man with his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Luke murmured softly.

/

_Author Note: I intend this one to be short, like 3 or 4 chapters. We've already wiped out Palpatine so, yeah... Thanks to my husband for editing!_

_Also, the "You have an 8 pack, you're shredded" quote comes from the Matt the Radar Tech SNL skit with Adam Driver. I can't believe I didn't watch that until a few weeks ago. It. Is. Hilarious!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Padme Amidala Naberrie's apartment_

_Coruscant_

_1 hour later_

"Bail, slow down!" Padme cried into the com. Her fellow senator was pale with worry. "You're babbling. What?"

"Chancellor Palpatine is reported dead!" Organa snapped; even across the kilometers separating their apartments, she could hear the rising hysteria in his voice. "He was assassinated within the Jedi Council chamber! There is fighting in the halls of the Senate itself and significant instability. Padme, you need to lock the door and stay inside right now. It's not safe out there."

Padme paled even as her child wiggled in her womb. The Jedi Council Chamber.

Anakin!

"Bail, have you heard if anyone else ...?" she began, then turned her head as the door slid open and her beloved stepped into the living room.

"Jedi Skywalker is here, Senator Organa," she said quickly. "He'll have more information. I'll inform you of details when I can."

"Very well, Padme. I would advise that you keep Skywalker with you, if possible. He'll keep you secure."

Padme nodded abstractly and turned off the com, rose to her feet, and turned to face her husband. To her disappointment, Anakin wasn't alone. Obi-Wan had followed him in, followed by two young people who were completely unfamiliar. The young man was blond, the girl was dark haired, and both were comparatively short.

"Jedi Skywalker," Padme said courteously, stepping forward with a polite nod of the head. How she hated this pretense between them in public settings.

Anakin disdained her nod, sweeping forward to pick her up and kiss her thoroughly and passionately. Padme squeaked in astonishment, then relaxed into the kiss. A few seconds later, she felt the child kick her husband firmly in the stomach, and she found herself being lowered carefully to the ground.

"So," Padme said once she'd regained her breath, "I guess we're blown, huh?"

She gestured at the threesome waiting near the door. Obi-Wan looked disapproving, but the other two were staring at her with unnerving intensity.

"Yes, we're blown," Anakin agreed, shooting a defiant glance at Kenobi, "and I don't care."

"I think being blown, as you put it, is the very best situation for the health of your marriage at this juncture," commented the dark haired girl.

Padme furrowed her brow in confusion but decided to focus on the most important question, "Ani, is it true what Senator Organa said, that Chancellor Palpatine was assassinated an hour ago?"

Anakin quickly wrapped a long arm around her waist. He guided Padme to her favorite krayt leather couch and pulled her gently down next to him, clasping her left hand with his prosthetic right one.

"Yes, Padme," Anakin Skywalker said gravely, staring into her deep brown eyes. "I chopped his head off myself, though I had a lot of help."

Her hand clenched in his and her eyes dilated in shock, "You killed him?"

"He was a Sith Lord, Padme. He was the Sith Lord we've been searching for all these years."

"_Palpatine?!"_

"Yes, Padme," Kenobi chimed in gravely. He was obviously supremely uncomfortable with all this gratuitous affection, but he was making a heroic effort to stay on task. "He attacked us in the Jedi Council once his evil nature was revealed. He had Dark Force powers beyond our understanding, and it took all of us to take him down though Anakin did indeed wield the final blow. I am proud of you, Anakin. I know that was a difficult decision."

The former queen shook her head incredulously, "How did you find out that Palpatine was a Sith?"

Anakin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Darling, this is going to be very hard for you to believe but these two young people are time travelers from 25 years in the future."

Padme stared at him, then turned her head to gaze at the twosome, both of whom continued to stare at her with fascination.

"You're serious?" she asked softly. "Time travelers? That's impossible."

"It is not, Padme," Ani continued softly. "Furthermore, as incredible and insane as it is, these two young people are our children from 25 years in the future. Meet Luke and Leia, our twins."

She gasped in shock, stared at the two strangers, then down at her own large baby bump.

"Twins? What? I'm not having twins!"

"It is kind of weird you didn't see both of us on prenatal scans," Luke commented, "but there are definitely two of us."

"We, uh, haven't had any scans done," Anakin muttered.

"Because?" Leia asked in a puzzled way. "Are scans not standard in this time period?"

This time period. Padme Skywalker didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or shout. Time travel was impossible. These couldn't be her kids from the future. Maybe she was asleep.

She poked herself experimentally. Ouch, nope.

"Scans are standard," Anakin explained absently, his eyes focused on his wife's bewildered visage, "but since our marriage was secret we just didn't want anything official done that could get us in the med records. I mean, our baby, our babies ... you, have a high midichlorian count and that kind of thing would point to a potential Jedi father. I can tell you are both very strong with the Force."

"Well, Luke is," Leia said with a soft smile. "I'm a Force sensitive but not necessarily a strong one."

"You are. You just don't have that much training," Luke stated firmly.

"Well, I've been pretty busy. The political situation is challenging and fascinating right now."

"Politics are so boring!"

Padme interrupted without compunction, "This is all very interesting but I don't believe it. I can't. How can ... can you be here and my baby, or babies, still be unborn?"

Luke shrugged apologetically, "I don't know how it works. We found a weird Jedi temple and some holocrons and opened some things and closed some other things and there was a galaxy map and a weird chrono and ended up here. And we might leave at any time. At this point, I hope our work is finished. We've warned you about Palpatine and the old wretch is dead in this time, which makes me very happy."

"And we devoutly hope now you won't turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker," Leia finished, her gaze fixed firmly on her biological father.

Padme shuddered under her husband's grip, "_What!?"_

"You died in our timeline," Luke explained softly, though his eyes were fixed on Anakin. "Probably after giving birth to us. And our father Anakin turned to the Dark Side and became a Sith named Darth Vader. He was Emperor Palpatine's right hand man for 25 years, sweeping across the galaxy leaving a wake of destruction and suffering. He harmed both of us greatly, though Vader did kill Palpatine in the end to save my life. I will always be grateful for that, but if you could raise your children, little Luke and Leia, in a healthier way, well, that would be better."

Padme's eyes were wide eyed and filled with tears, and she gazed on Anakin in desperation, "You would never do such a thing, would you, Ani? Please say you wouldn't."

"To save you," Anakin murmured, "Yes, I'm afraid I would have. Only days ago, I was at the opera with Palpatine and he told me that a Sith Lord learned how to cheat death. I am certain that he was enticing me to join him in the hopes of saving you, my love. After losing my mother to the Tuskens, I've been terrified of losing you, Padme. My dreams of your death in childbirth are so real, even as the visions of my mother's agony and death came true."

He tightened his grip on her hand and she squeaked in pain. He released his grip instantly, his expression contrite, "I'm sorry, my angel. I can't ... I can't live without you but Luke and Leia are right, I must not sell my soul in a hopeless attempt to save you."

"Truly," Luke said compassionately, walking closer and then dropped to one knee before his pregnant mother, "I would guess that my father's actions precipitated my mother's death. He was such a violent man. He slashed my hand off in a duel and it was not conducive to his ultimate goal to draw me to his side. When he got angry, he hurt people, even those he cared about."

"If I may suggest something," Leia said sternly, rising to her feet, "you should do the very opposite of your general instinct in saving your wife. Don't run around like a koja nut. Stay here with your wife and protect her. Love her. Cook up tasty foods for her. Take up gnitting? if you are bored."

"The war," Anakin began.

Luke interrupted without compunction, "Father, in our timeline, you pretty much broke the galaxy. You'd do everyone a favor by just staying home and raising tookas. I mean, you can do more, but don't push yourself beyond your limit and freak out and take down a billion people with you."

"I'll probably be tossed out of the Jedi Order anyway," Anakin murmured, gazing at his former master. "I'm married in this time, and I turned to the Dark Side in your time."

"Well, you can't be punished for hypothetical future crimes," Luke stated indignantly, "and the whole no attachments rule was stupid. However, given that Palpatine was manipulating you and you are stressed out ..."

"He's right, Anakin," Obi-Wan said softly. "I don't know what the Council will decide about your status in the Order, but it is true that we failed you. _I _failed you. We have all been under a tremendous amount of stress and dashing here and there and Palpatine has been manipulating you all this time."

He trailed away now, his eyes wide, "Anakin, do you realize what this means? Count Dooku was working for Palpatine! The Separatists were controlled by Palpatine. He was behind the entire war!"

"Indeed," Padme said flatly, "and I deeply regret my own part in his ascension to power, which brought him perilously close to, I gather, a coup. I was the one who called for the No Confidence vote against Valorum."

"How long did it take you to figure out the political machinations behind Palpatine's rise to power?" her husband asked affectionately.

She lifted an eyebrow, "About 30 seconds, my dear. Your information that Palpatine was a Sith Lord and our enemy clarifies so much that has happened in the last few years."

"And we were too caught up in the war to understand," Obi-Wan said wearily, "but then, I've never been that great with politics, really."

"Me either," Luke said with a smile. He rose to his feet and glanced at his sister, "I assume your toes are tingling?"

"Yes," Leia agreed.

"Tingling toes?" Padme demanded, lurching to her feet with some difficulty, "what does that mean?"

"It probably means we're about to go back to our time," Leia explained. "We had tingling toes a few minutes before we launched out of our time. Padme. Mother. It was an honor and privilege to meet you."

"But where will you go?" Anakin asked worriedly. "Won't your actions here change the future?"

Luke and Leia exchanged glances and shrugged.

"We're not sure," Leia stated quietly. "Maybe we'll just disappear. And that's Ok. Our lives have been pretty tough. Or maybe there are multiple timelines. In any case, take care of your wife and children, Anakin Skywalker. Please. I am certain with Palpatine out of the way, Mother will give birth without difficulty."

"Oh, and if your Luke runs across a redhead named Mara Jade and falls for her, that's no problem. I mean, it's fine if that doesn't happen, but she's fabulous."

"And there's a scruffy looking Corellian named Han Solo whose got a whole lot going on beneath his disheveled exterior," Leia began.

The twins blinked out of sight, leaving Anakin, Padme, and Obi-Wan gaping in surprise.

"Oh, Anakin," Padme murmured, sagging back onto the couch and wiping back tears, "they are amazing, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," Anakin Skywalker said quietly. He sat down next to his wife and carefully cradled her enormous bump. "Babies, you are so loved. I promise you that I'll be the father that you deserve."

"Well, I'll just be going," Kenobi said nervously, sidling towards the door.

"There's fighting in the antechambers of Senate," Padme said suddenly. "Bail told me."

"Stay here, Anakin," Obi-Wan ordered. "Based on what has happened today, your highest priority is your wife and children. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Skywalker replied with a smile.

/

_Weird Jedi Temple_

_Kashyyyk_

"So did anything happen, Farmboy?" Mara Jade Skywalker asked her husband.

Luke blinked at his beautiful and newly pregnant wife, "Um, yes. How long were we gone?"

"Like 2 seconds," Han Solo explained. "You disappeared and then reappeared immediately."

The twins exchanged startled looks.

"We were there for hours," Leia said. "Hours and hours. So I presume you both are still you? Mara, you were taken by the Emperor and turned into a Hand? Big, Tall, and Ugly still managed to cause major damage in our lives?"

"Yes?" Han and Mara replied in a chorus.

The twins exchanged thoughtful looks.

"I kind of expected to just go poof," Luke commented. "We definitely changed the timeline significantly."

"How?" demanded Mara.

"We traveled back in time 25 years and showed up in the Jedi Council chambers and told everyone that Palpatine was a Sith Lord. After some discussion, they believed us and there was a fight and Palpatine was killed. I don't think Anakin Skywalker would turn to the Dark Side after all that."

"Maybe there are multiple timelines," Leia said hopefully.

"The fabric of the Force has changed," Mara said suddenly. "Can't you feel it? It's shifted toward the Light."

"You're right, my love," Luke murmured. "Very interesting."

/

_Temperorary Med Suite_

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_1 month after the death of Chancellor Palpatine_

"Please continue to push," the med droid said soothingly.

Padme Skywalker grimaced even as she clutched her husband's hand.

"Almost there, Padme," Anakin encouraged her, his eyes wet with tears. His son had already been born and was comfortably ensconced in his grandmother's arms. Jobal and Ruwee Naberrie, thrilled beyond measure to learn of their daughter's marriage and pregnancy, had welcomed the young couple to Varykino with open arms.

With one last cry, Padme pushed her daughter into the world. Amid the indignant howling of the newborn girl, Anakin knelt next to his beloved wife and pressed a kiss onto her cheek. His horrifying nightmares of her death in childbirth had stopped the day that Palpatine had died.

The Jedi Council had firmly thrown Skywalker out of the Order but Anakin truly didn't care. There were so many things he could do with his life and skills, but right now he was focused on his wife and his precious children.

"What will you name them?" Jobal asked in an adoring tone.

Padme smiled wearily at her husband and reached a hand up to stroke his cheek.

"Luke and Leia," she murmured.

/

_Author Note: So originally I was going to stop here. But then I thought – wait, Luke and Leia could bounce around to other places and times, right? Wouldn't that be fun? So I'm going to keep going. As for the multiple timelines, don't think too hard about it. Thanks to those of you reading and following and reviewing._


	3. Chapter 3

_Cloud City_

_Shortly after the battle of Hoth_

"Would you join me for a little refreshment?" Lando Calrissian asked smoothly. "Everyone's invited, of course!"

"Bad idea," a feminine voice said from the doorway.

Leia Organa turned in surprise, which morphed into total shock. Facing her was ...

"I know, this is totally weird. I'm you from a few years in the future."

Han Solo gaped incredulously. The woman standing protectively in front of the exit door was in fact a nearly perfect copy of his Leia Organa, but time travel? Time travel?

"That's impossible," Younger Leia said.

"You'd think so," Older Leia said with a smile. "But we managed it. Or maybe it is more accurate to say we were stupid enough to open up a Jedi Temple and mess with some holocrons, and now the Force apparently thinks it's a cute idea to periodically send us to random places and times to intervene. Do you remember that rancor plushie that you dropped into a vat of pudding in the Palace kitchen? Mama threw it away because it was such a mess and I cried myself to sleep. She bought me another one but I never liked it as much as the first one that was lost."

Younger Leia paled, "You really are me. No one else would know that."

"I really am you, or you in a few years, from a different timeline. Anyway, we need to leave now. Lando sold you out to Vader, who is waiting in the dining room."

Solo jerked in surprise and drew his blaster in approximately 0.5 seconds, "Why you lousy ...!"

"Hey, it's Ok," Older Leia said quickly. "Lando's a very good friend now, and he was, to his credit, thinking of the populace of Cloud City. It is very hard to say no to Darth Vader. Not that it will do you any good, Calrissian. Vader will take over the city regardless of what you do. But the_ Falcon _is ready to go and we need to go intercept Luke, who will be coming out of lightspeed shortly."

"Luke's coming here?" Han demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Older Leia explained, grabbing the box with C-3PO's parts and handing it to Younger Leia. "Take this. Yes, this is all an elaborate plan to capture Luke. It fails, but a lot of people get hurt in the process, so let's go. Oh, the hyperdrive is deactivated, Han, but it's an easy fix if you know where to look. The Imperials disabled the reverse power control in the secondary safety circuit."

"Right," Han replied, shaking his head in an attempt to grasp the enormity of the situation.

"Can I come, please?" Lando asked piteously.

There was a hesitant pause and then younger Leia sighed, "Sure."

Chewbacca roared and Han twitched nervously, "What about Vader? Won't he come after us when we don't show up in the dining room?"

"The Luke from my timeline is here too and he'll try to keep him busy but we do need to hurry."

"Can he kill him?" Younger Leia demanded angrily.

Older Leia stared compassionately at her younger self, "For reasons that we don't need to go into right now, that would be a bad idea. Come on, let's go."

/-

_Dining Room_

_Cloud City_

Darth Vader sat in his reassuringly large chair and stared toward the doors at the end of the room.

Even now, Calrissian was guiding Solo and Organa and the Wookiee to him. Of course, he could have just had the Rebels stunned when they exited the _Falcon,_ but there had been arrangements to be made (for torture) and the shock of betrayal would, he hoped, reverberate in the Force and draw his son to him soon.

Soon.

Soon he would look upon the face of the child who had been stolen from him.

"They aren't coming, actually," a voice said from behind him.

The chair flew backwards, smashing into a wall, and Vader was on his feet, his red lightsaber buzzing, in about 0.5 seconds.

Luke Skywalker lifted his hands in a placating way, "Calm down, Lord Vader. Calm down. No need for me to lose another limb."

Darth Vader's heart was incapable of speeding up. It, along with almost everything else, was machine controlled. But he felt briefly faint and his vision even wobbled slightly.

His son stood a meter away from him, dressed in black, an unfamiliar lightsaber hanging at his waist. He looked older than expected. And how could he be here already? His friends hadn't even been captured and brutalized yet!

Luke took a few cautious steps down the table. He carefully reached a hand out for a piece of Ksharra bread and took a bite, "You don't mind if I eat a little something, do you? I'm hungry."

"How did you get here?" Vader hissed. He had no doubt he could take the boy down but he wanted him alive and unharmed. What was that about losing another limb?

"I'm not really your Luke," the youth explained gravely, "I mean, I am, but I'm from a few years in the future. I messed around with a Jedi Temple and some holocrons and now I periodically get pitched through time and space to intervene somewhere. It's very odd. Though this time I'm kind of excited. We didn't get a chance to talk much in my timeline and maybe we could have a little weird father son bonding time?"

Darth Vader felt a peculiar pang in his chest even as he slowly shut off his lightsaber.

"So you know the truth. I was not certain you did."

"Well, _I _know. The Luke from your timeline doesn't. I mean, naturally no one would want to tell me that my father was not in fact a dead, noble Jedi, but a deranged Sith. Naturally."

"The Jedi were weak fools!" Vader snarled angrily, taking a step closer.

Again, Luke lifted a careful hand, "I know you loathe them, and they did indeed have major issues. I acknowledge that. But you have to admit the Sith have issues too. Here's a question that's been bugging me. What was your plan? I mean, carbon freeze makes sense. Try to take me without injury. But then what? Were you really going to haul me off to the Emperor? Because if so, I presume he's the one that would have tried to turn me, and train me, and what about the Rule of Two? How did you know he wouldn't have me kill you and take your place?"

Darth Vader blinked his hairless eyes several times. This boy, this young man, was incredibly well informed. And he was here too early. And he was highly trained, far more than was possible. It seemed, incredible as it was, that this young man truly was his son from the future.

"I presume," he murmured carefully, "that I did not succeed in trapping you in carbon freeze?"

"No, I evaded that," Luke responded gravely, "and we fought for a while, and you beat me into pulp by throwing large objects at me, and cut off my hand, and then did the grand reveal that you're my father. Again, why? I mean, I get that you are a rather dramatic person but if you'd just told me earlier I might have ... I don't know what I would have done. But the way you did it just encouraged me to jump to my death. Well, I survived, but I was basically committing suicide. It was not a beautiful way to mark our first interaction."

Vader's heart clenched. His son had tried to kill himself rather than join him? Why?

"The Dark Side is power," the Sith intoned.

"No, please," Luke said with a sigh. "You've said it all before. In my timeline, we met twice and both times you were all about how the Dark Side was awesome and I rejected it both times. And really, it isn't awesome. You tortured my friends and cut off my hand! And realistically, I'm guessing you broke our mother's heart by turning to the Dark Side."

The table trembled slightly and the bass voice, when it emerged, was dark with rage, "Do not speak of her!"

"I'm _going _to speak of her," Luke said, unfazed. "We traveled back in time 25 years just two months ago. Well, that sounds weird. In our timeline, which is a few years from now, about 2 months ago we went back in time 25 years. We showed up in the Jedi Council chamber and told everyone, including Anakin Skywalker, that Palpatine was a Sith Lord. There was a fight and _you_ killed him off, and then we went off to meet Mother. She's just amazing, Father. Really! I'm pretty sure in that timeline she gave birth without problems and Anakin stayed in the Light because without Palpatine mucking things up, he would. And we felt a shift toward Light when we got back, so it looks like there are multiple timelines spiraling this way and that, and we hope every time we go somewhere, we help shift things more toward the Light. Hopefully."

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, breathed through four cycles while he stared at his (older) son's earnest young face. His brain was whirling. Traveling through time? Luke, in his time, was supposed to coming soon. But ... but ...

He glanced toward the door behind him. Where was Fett? Maybe with the help of the bounty hunter, he could take this Luke. With two Lukes to work with, er, maybe...

"Fett is dead, by the way," Luke Skywalker said unnervingly. "I broke his neck. I don't usually do that kind of thing but the guy is really a nasty individual."

More heavy breathing from Vader, and then the great shoulders relaxed wearily. "You said we met again? And what happened?"

"You took me to the Emperor on the second Death Star over Endor. He tried to turn me to the Dark Side. I did lose my temper and attacked him, and you intervened. We fought for a while. You finally really honked me off and we fought more, and I actually beat you, which was incredible, and cut off your hand. So the Emperor, being the stellar character that he is, told me to fulfill my destiny by killing you and take your place at his side. His words. I said no, he bombarded me with Force Lightning, you rescued me by throwing him into a pit, and then died of your injuries. So that was great. I mean, I was so grateful. But it was sad too, because we actually were on good terms for like 20 minutes and then you keeled over dead. I've always wanted to know my father, so yeah ..."

There was way too much for Darth Vader to unpack here. The Emperor had tried to betray him and take his son as his apprentice? No surprise there. But Luke said no? Why would the boy care? He had, he admitted, been a rather challenging father. Well, he had been an absentee father who intended to torture and murder his son's friends and then coerce him to the Dark Side.

"Why do you care?" the deep voice asked tentatively.

Luke smiled, a little sadly, "You're my father. I love you. It's as simple as that. Other Luke does too, though he hates you too. It's hard, for sure. I grew up idolizing my dead father who was, my Uncle Owen told me, a navigator on a freighter. Then Old Ben told me my father was a dead Jedi Knight. Then in my timeline, I found out after you removed a limb that you're my father. So it's been an emotional whirlwind. But in the end, I love you. I always will."

The great head bowed. Love. Love always failed, did it not?

"Mother wouldn't want you to be like this," Luke said softly. "We read up on her. She was a champion of the common people, a strong proponent of democracy. She would hate the Empire."

"I know."

Luke sighed and looked at his feet, "So my toes are tingling, which means I'm about to disappear. For some reason, that's the main symptom before the Force grabs me and tosses me somewhere. Think about it, Father. Please. The Emperor is a lousy master and the Empire is a lousy government. And yes, the Republic had major issues too, but at least it never blew up a planet."

Vader did not respond verbally, but he did raise his head to gaze at his son.

"I love you, Father," Luke said softly. And disappeared.

/-

_The Millennium Falcon_

_In space, 4 lightyears from Bespin_

_About the same time_

Luke Skywalker threw his helmet against the wall and his arms around Leia Organa in relief. His brain was buzzing with a mixture of incredulity and joy. He'd come out of hyperspace near Bespin, only to be hailed by the _Falcon_, which had his friends on board. He'd quickly attached his X-wing to the undercarriage of the_ Falcon_ and had space walked into the airlock. As soon as he was on board with R2D2 in tow, the Falcon had gone into lightspeed.

"I am so thankful to see you," he gasped. "I was so worried!"

"You were right to be worried," Leia answered gravely. "Vader was waiting for us but we managed to sneak out without being intercepted."

"I was having horrible nightmares," the youth continued as he walked into the main cabin area, "of you and ..."

He trailed away and looked at Leia at his side and then at Leia, across the cabin sitting on the couch.

"Wha ... t?" he sputtered.

"Luke," the Other Leia said. She was dressed in a practical green pantsuit, whereas the Leia beside him was dressed in an elaborate red dress with an off white cloak.

"I am human replicant droid Leia. It is nice to meet you," she said in her best droid voice, then grinned, "Sorry ... I'm just teasing you. I'm actually a Leia from the future. That's your Leia. Thankfully, the Force sent me and my Luke to Bespin to get you out before Vader could sink his claws into you."

Looking very confused, Luke said, "So ... you're an replicant droid?"

"No. Keep up. I'm a real Leia from another timeline."

Luke Skywalker was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them and he tried again. "So ... so in your timeline, my visions came true?"

Other Leia nodded gravely, "Yes, we were captured, and tortured. You came and were defeated by Vader."

Current Leia took in a shallow breath even as Han and Chewie entered the room.

"Lando's in the cockpit keeping an eye on the Falcon," Solo explained. "Thank you again, uh, Future Leia?"

"Yeah, it's awkward when there are two Leia's in the same place," Other Leia said with a chuckle, though she quickly grew grave. "Listen, you know that I treasure diplomacy but I don't know how much time I have so I need to be quick about this. There is information you need to know, right now, about Darth Vader. Sit down, all of you."

Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbacca exchanged worried glances and obediently arranged themselves on the various comfy, if battered, furniture in the room.

"What's there to say about Darth Vader?" Luke demanded once he was seated. "He's a murderous, cruel, vicious psychopath."

"He's all those things," Other Leia responded steadily, "but he's also your father."

A few seconds went by before the words penetrated Luke's brain.

"No," he murmured, his eyes flared wide in horror. "No, that's impossible!"

"Just be thankful you're hearing it from me, not Vader himself," Other Leia said sympathetically. "My Luke lost his hand and his saber to Vader, who then proceeded to tell him that Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and he's been hunting you across the galaxy because you are his son."

"He was lying," Leia snapped desperately, her eyes fixed on Skywalker. "He had to be."

"Leia, he wasn't lying," Other Leia stated sternly. "Like I said, I wish I could take my time but I don't _have_ time. Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side when the Empire was born. And in my timeline, Vader actually finally turned back to the Light Side and saved my Luke's life, about a year from now. But Luke went through hell. We all did. And the Force threw us here to Bespin so we intervened."

"My father," Luke muttered in a broken tone. "My father ..."

"And Leia, you are Luke's twin sister," Other Leia continued flatly. "Another huge shock. We're still shaky on details, but our mother, Padme Amidala Naberrie, was married to Anakin Skywalker and apparently died in childbirth after delivering us. Fears for our mother apparently pushed Anakin to the Dark Side, because he'd been having visions of her death in childbirth. Probably his actions as a Sith Lord precipitated her death because you know, that's the way Vader's life seems to roll."

"No," Leia whispered. "I mean, I'd love to have Luke as a brother, but ..."

"But having Vader as a father totally stinks," Other Leia agreed. "Yes, the whole situation is vile. I mean, I hate Vader's guts. You know I do. In my timeline, and in this current timeline, he doesn't know that you are his daughter so he treats you horribly whenever he crosses paths with you. And he treats Luke horribly because he's obsessive."

The woman suddenly looked down at her feet and frowned, "My toes are tingling so that means I'm about to disappear. Listen, Luke and Leia, Vader is a huge mess. He is mean and evil and is still enslaved to Palpatine but he's also complicated and tormented and as much as I hate to admit it, there really is a little bit of good in him."

She disappeared.

/

_Author Note: I'm going to have another chapter dealing with this timeline... _


	4. Chapter 4

_The Death Star_

_In Orbit Around Endor_

_1 year later_

"Are the troops prepared to welcome the Emperor, Moff Jerjerrod?" Darth Vader demanded coldly.

"Yes, my Lord," Jerjerrod replied nervously. "They wait even now for his Majesty's arrival."

"I hope so, Commander, for your sake. The Emperor is more devoted to ceremony than I am."

"Yes, my Lord. If I may, I will conduct a final review of the troops in the main Hanger Bay.

Darth Vader nodded without words and watched with dark satisfaction as Jerjerrod scurried off towards the bay where the Emperor was scheduled to arrive shortly. The man was a shockball of nerves.

The Dark Lord waited until the Moff had disappeared, then turned and rapidly strode toward a nearby elevator. Three minutes later, he was in the command center of the superlaser. It was, Vader admitted to himself, brilliant of Palpatine to have arranged for the Death Star to appear incomplete when in fact its superlaser was fully functional. Even now, the Rebel fleet was rumored to be gathering near Sullust, and the cyborg Sith guessed that soon the Rebels would launch a foolish attack on the Death Star.

The Rebels.

His son was with them.

His son.

Since the near miss at Bespin, Luke Skywalker (_his_ Luke Skywalker) had escaped bounty hunters (on Kothlis and Corellia), destroyed two ancient droidekas (in an abandoned Separatist base on Geonosis), and been bitten by a quenker on Datooine. Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, had been even more on edge than usual after that report, only to learn two weeks later that the boy had been treated successfully and was back to full, rebellious health.

Through all of this, his power in the Light Side had grown – grown to an extent which startled both Sith Lords. Darth Vader was, he realized, proud, if uneasy. Truly, the boy was strong.

Darth Sidious was angry, and had shown it through increasingly creative punishment of his apprentice. Vader's left shoulder still throbbed from the remnants of a Force Lightning blast of two months ago. His body was always a mess, but as he aged, he healed more slowly.

The former Anakin Skywalker had chosen not to impart what truly had happened at Cloud City. He had admitted, meekly, that Calrissian had turned against him and whisked the Rebels away before they could be captured, and they had intercepted Skywalker before the boy arrived at Bespin. It was better for everyone, but most of all himself, that Sidious was not aware that a time traveling version of his son had popped up and informed him of the Emperor's treacherous plans.

Not that Vader was surprised in any way. Sidious had cheerfully sacrificed Count Dooku to pull the young Anakin Skywalker closer to the Dark Side. It was completely reasonable that Palpatine would prefer a young, whole Luke Skywalker to his disaster of a cyborg father.

It didn't even feel like betrayal, really. Slave masters were like that.

But it made him angry. Luke was_ his _son. They belonged together.

"Captain."

"Yes, my lord?"

"You and the command crew of the superlaser are ordered to Hanger Bay #1 immediately to welcome the Emperor. He may have ... questions ... about the superlaser."

The captain in question paled, his pulse beating in his throat, but nodded obediently, "Yes, my Lord."

Sixty seconds later, the startled command crew had filed out of the room, leaving Vader alone with the power of the Death Star at his finger tips.

Five minutes before the _Eclipse_ would revert to real space.

Five minutes.

/

_Emperor's Throne Room_

_Eclipse_

_In hyperspace_

Emperor Palpatine stared out of his private viewport at the dancing lights of hyperspace. He was uneasy.

Something was wrong in the Force, and indeed had been wrong since the Death Star had exploded into a quadrillion remnants of energy and matter 4 years ago due to the astonishing, miraculous shot of Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker.

On one hand, the boy was an ideal potential apprentice. Rarely did a Sith Lord have an opportunity presented to him (or her) the likes of Anakin Skywalker. Maybe never before. Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader, had the Force power of the ages. Sidious's triumph in bringing him to heel had been the accomplishment of a lifetime.

To have yet another Skywalker burst on the galactic scene, full of nearly unlimited Force potential, was the dream of every Sith Lord.

Realistically, Vader was deteriorating. He had failed to capture Skywalker at Bespin, and the boy was growing in power at a rate that seemed well nigh impossible.

Thankfully, Palpatine was gifted in manipulation and had one major Idiot's Array in the hole. Luke Skywalker was a child prone to strong attachment. Palpatine doubted the youth knew that Vader was his father but when he found out, there would be a delicious battle in Skywalker's soul. To kill his father would cement his place in the Dark Side. Joining his father would turn him to the Dark Side as well. Truly a win-win situation!

The problem, of course, was that together, Vader and son could doubtless kill him. That was not remotely Ok. He had no intention of dying at the hand of the Skywalkers.

No, he would have to proceed carefully. Vader was still his slave, bound by both the Dark Side and the chains of guilt over the death of his Padme. Not that Vader had truly murdered the woman, but he thought he had. Sidious had reveled in the Dark power of that horrified sense of responsibility for decades now.

In the end, Luke Skywalker would fall. In the end, it would all be his. As it was meant to be.

There was a brief shudder, and the _Eclipse _reverted to real space.

Sidious stared hungrily out as the Death Star appeared in view. The battle station was still unfinished, its superstructure gaping empty in one quadrant.

But the superlaser, he knew, was fully functional. Soon the Rebels would attack, and the Alliance would die.

Wait a second. Why was the Death Star rotating towards the Eclipse?

Why was ...

With a horrified throb of terror, Emperor Palpatine lifted his hands in a totally ridiculous attempt to protect himself.

The superlaser glowed for a few seconds, counting down.

And fired on the _Eclipse_.

Which burst in a quadrillion pieces of light and matter.

/

_Roof Landing Bay_

_Darth Vader's Palace_

_Imperial City_

_Imperial Center_

_3 months later_

The shuttle touched down gently, and Emperor Vader impatiently threw off his safety restraints with the Force. Before the ramp was fully lowered, the Sith was striding down the ramp, waiting an irritable 3 seconds to step onto the roof.

It was night, and the cityscape glowed with the lights of ten million souls. It was, Vader supposed, beautiful in its own way, if one was inclined to consider beauty.

Darth Vader was not. He was, indeed, in a foul mood.

He had killed Palpatine and taken the throne. The Imperial Elite had welcomed him with, if not open arms, at least not much muttering. Those who had muttered had died, rapidly.

He could do anything he wanted, now. He was no longer under anyone's authority. He was the ultimate power in the galaxy.

But all he wanted was his son, and Luke had proven as hard to find as ever.

The Rebels had not attacked the Death Star, which still circled Endor. The death of the Emperor on the _Eclipse _had spread the word far and wide that the battle station was operational. Not surprisingly, the Rebel Alliance had chosen to steer clear of attacking an operational station, or at least until the galactic situation had settled.

Vader himself had no plans to use the Death Star on a planet. He had, indeed, thoroughly sabotaged the superlaser and removed vital components to prevent its use, though no one knew that except him. The last thing he needed was some idiot taking control of the Death Star and using it on the Empire and its Emperor.

"Your Highness."

"Vanee," Vader rumbled to his personal, and very competent, attendant.

"Your Highness, we have 26 individuals waiting for your weekly audience."

Vader bit down a Huttese imprecation. The weekly audience. He had forgotten. Or had he? Realistically, it was more that he refused to think about it. He absolutely loathed these tiresome audiences, with princes and shipping magnates bowing and simpering and abasing themselves before him.

On the other hand, he was no longer the Emperor's Blunt Instrument, but the Emperor himself. He couldn't just strangle dozens of individuals without wreaking serious havoc. There was enough instability in the upper echelons of the Empire without him going full rancor.

For the 1,567th time, he missed Padme. She would have been a glorious Empress, with the political ability to administer the vast array of the galaxy. He had many skills, but this complex political dance was beyond him.

He sighed and stepped into the elevator, Vanee at his side. The elevator descended six levels, depositing him near his audience chamber. As Vanee had warned, numerous individuals were standing along the sides of the corridor leading to the chamber. As one, they all turned and bowed their heads in obeisance.

No, wait, that wasn't true. All but one bowed. The last, a short, cloaked figure, turned and shook the hood off of his head defiantly, revealing the face of Luke Skywalker.

"Luke," Vader rumbled aloud, then stopped in shock. Had he actually said it aloud? And was he hallucinating?

"Your Highness," Skywalker replied smoothly. "Can we talk?"

Vader blinked at the youth. Yes, it was Luke. After searching all over the galaxy, after putting a four million credit bounty on his head, the boy was here?

"Certainly," he managed to rumble, gesturing for the youth to proceed toward his audience chamber. Dimly he was aware of the outrage from the courtiers in attendance, no doubt because Luke wasn't at the head of the line.

"See that we are not disturbed," Vader hissed ominously to the captain of his private security.

Yes, he had a private security unit. He, the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, had a legion of hapless souls whose only job was to keep him safe. It was ridiculous but expected.

Luke obediently marched into the audience chamber before halting and turning around slowly. Vader waited with a mixture of excitement, worry, and confusion as the boy did a thorough inspection.

"It's very stark," Luke finally said. "Not very elaborate for the Emperor of the galaxy."

"I have no need for pointless luxury," Vader intoned. "Are you armed?"

Luke blinked at him and then nodded, carefully reaching for his lightsaber which he proceeded to toss to Vader, "I believe that was yours originally, wasn't it?"

There were a million questions in that simple query, and Vader took a moment to stare at the saber in his hand.

"Indeed," he rumbled softly. "I lost it on Mustafar when Obi-Wan took my limbs and left me to burn in lava."

Luke shuddered in horror, "I'm sorry, I didn't know any details at all. Obi-Wan, being a total idiot, didn't even tell me that you were my father, much less what he did to you."

Vader looked up gravely, "So how did you find out the truth, my son?"

Skywalker's face lit up slightly at these words. His father was alive. Vader was an evil, possibly maniacal Sith Lord but all his life he wanted his father and his father was alive and was acknowledging Luke Skywalker, Rebel terrorist, as his son.

"Uh, Other Leia told us," he finally managed to say, struggling to control his emotions.

"Other Leia?"

"Um, yes, from the other timeline. You met my alter, right? Other Luke? Or Future Luke? It's hard to know what to call them."

Vader took a step forward, then stopped as Luke flinched slightly. Right, the boy was now unarmed and they were, hypothetically, sworn enemies.

"I was not aware that the princess had also traveled with the other version of you," the Sith murmured in a puzzled tone. "That is quite extraordinary."

"I guess they kind of do that together. The Force sends them to a variety of timelines and places, apparently," Luke explained.

"Remarkable. I would think only a powerful Force Sensitive would be capable of such a feat."

"Oh, Leia's very strong in the Force," Luke assured his father. "I mean, she shields amazingly well, naturally well, but she's probably as strong as I am."

Darth Vader stared at his son incredulously, "Surely not as strong as you, my son. The Skywalker line is the most powerful the galaxy has ever seen."

Luke Skywalker regarded his father in astonishment.

"You don't know," he said blankly. "I assumed that Other Luke would have told you. Though maybe it was obvious he wouldn't. It honestly didn't occur to us."

"I do not know what?" Vader demanded. Something was very much up.

"Leia is my twin sister."

A minute passed by, then another minute, as Darth Vader, Emperor of the known galaxy, gaped behind his black mask.

"Your sister," he finally muttered.

"Yes."

"My daughter."

Luke winced, "Er, I mean yes, biologically, but she hates your guts so I wouldn't, uh, tell her that. She's Ok with me as a brother but she really loathes you, for totally acceptable reasons."

"I tortured her."

"Yes."

"The Death Star blew up her planet!"

"Yes. We have a screwed up family."

Darth Vader, Emperor of the known galaxy, found himself pacing up and down his main audience chamber, his mind and spirit in the throes of a maelstrom of emotion. This was catastrophic. Horrible. He had his son in hand and Luke had come to him but he'd tortured his daughter, the child of his Angel. How could his twins ever forgive him?

"I am sorry," he said finally.

"Well, you should be," Luke said severely. "However, Future Leia said there was good in you and that's why I was stupid enough to show up here and talk to you. Also, I wanted to meet my father. I've wanted to all my life."

The Sith turned to gaze at his son now, relishing the features of that young face. The blue eyes were so much like those of young Anakin, but the nose and slight stature were all Padme.

"I have longed to know you too, my son," he said humbly. "This is the best day I've had in the last 23 years."

Skywalker's face lit up with enthusiasm, "Really?"

"Truly," Vader avowed, daring to step closer. Luke didn't flinch this time, so the Dark Lord allowed himself to lift up a hand and reverently touch his son's cheek. So many years. So many lost years.

"Well, maybe we can work something out then," the youth said with a dazzling smile. "I mean, you're Emperor of the galaxy now ..."

"And I would gladly give you the position."

Luke took a horrified step back, "Um, not me. I'm not good Emperor material at all."

"Then your sister!" Vader said in a frenzy of enthusiasm. "Yes, she is the perfect person to rule the galaxy, Luke! She has Padme's political giftedness and acumen. She will be an amazing Empress!"

"She wants democracy!" Luke riposted indignantly. "There is no way she'll go for being a tyrannical Sith Lady!"

"I care not whether she creates a democracy or not," Vader stated with a wave of his hand. "The Empire, or its replacement, is yours, my children. I will support you in whatever form you wish to create it."

Luke frowned hideously and gazed into his father's dark mask, into his very eyes.

"Do you promise?" he demanded suspiciously.

"With all that I am, I promise," the Sith averred.

Luke Skywalker stared at him for a minute, probing his father, then smiled, "Well, all right then. Let's get to work!"


	5. Chapter 5

_Lars Farm_

_Tatooine_

_Evening_

"I'm shutting down the power!" Owen called.

"All right! I'll be done in just a minute!" the woman called back cheerfully. It had been a good day. The moisture vaporators had produced 5% higher yields than usual and the banthas had produced a copious amount of blue milk.

Yes, a good day. A good life, really.

The woman lifted a hand and removed the clip which held her hair up. Her dark tresses fell to her shoulders and she tossed her head slightly, relishing the relaxed feeling of her scalp. During the day, hair had to be either short or up, and her husband loved her long hair. So until evening came, she wore it piled high. But now, with the first sun under the horizon and second sun touching the distant mountains, it was cool enough to allow her hair to flow freely.

She walked out of the outbuilding and took a step toward the main house, only to stop when a slight sound caught her attention from her left. She turned, puzzled and concerned. The banthas were in the stable next door and perhaps they'd caught wind of a predator? The krayts never wandered this close, but there were other creatures nearby. Some of them sentient.

She took a few steps towards the stables, hesitant as to whether to call for assistance or not. It was probably nothing but …

A moment later, a dark form loomed in the darkness and before she could flinch, or cry out, or lift a hand to defend herself, something crashed down on her head and she fell to the ground, paralyzed by pain.

Terror filled her heart. There could only be one possible identity for her attacker, and the Tuskens were not disposed to treat human settlers well. She tried to scream but her head swam and she barely clung to consciousness as she dimly felt herself being lifted and carried away from the farm, away from those who loved her …

There was a sudden flash of green, seen dimly through the nearly closed lids of Shmi Skywalker Lars. A moment later, there were guttural shouts and Shmi found herself abruptly dropped to the hard sand. She grunted in pain but managed to roll to her hands and knees. What was happening?

There was yelling now from behind her, from Owen and Beru and yes, Cliegg, even as a small form suddenly grasped her waist and helped her lurch to her feet.

"Come on, I've got you," a female form whispered in her ear.

"The Tuskens," Shmi managed to whisper.

"Luke is taking care of them," the woman replied confidently.

Luke?

"Shmi!" Cliegg shouted, rushing to her side. "Shmi, are you all right?"

"She was hit hard on the head," the unknown woman said authoritatively, "we need to get her inside."

"Who are you?" Owen demanded suspiciously.

"I'm Leia," the girl replied. "This isn't the time; let's get inside."

"The Tuskens," Shmi repeated weakly. "They usually come in large groups. Your friend …"

"Is a Jedi," the girl interrupted in a proud tone. "Don't worry, he'll drive them away."

"'I've got you, Shmi," Owen said abruptly, carefully grasping his stepmother in his arms and lifting her. "I've got you."

Shmi closed her eyes again as she was gently carried down the steps and into the main dwelling. A moment later, she felt herself placed on the couch and Beru, smelling slightly of blue milk, crouched down beside her, a hand gently touching her head.

"She's bleeding quite a bit," Cliegg murmured worriedly.

"Do you have ice?" Leia asked.

"Ice is as dear as meryx on Tatooine," Beru stated. "We have a med kit …"

"I have it here," Owen said, rushing in the room. The next few minutes were a confused rush as the three occupants of the farm fell over one another, eager to assist Shmi. In the end, her head was bandaged, she'd received a shot of pain meds, and her head had been carefully propped up with the best pillows in the house.

"Owen?" Leia asked once the flurry had subsided.

"Yes?"

"Luke says he's driven off the Tuskens but some of the banthas need to be returned to the stable and are resisting his attempts by hissing and spitting. Would you be able to help him?"

"He says?" Beru asked in a wondering tone.

"Er, yes," Leia explained hesitantly. "As odd as it sounds, we're able to communicate telepathically."

"Listen, I don't want to be rude," Cliegg said suspiciously, "but you came out of nowhere …"

"And you can't trust us," Leia finished. "I understand. Luke can probably handle the banthas if you want to interview me now. Or you and Owen can go help him and Beru can hold a blaster on me if you like."

"Owen, go help with the banthas," Shmi croaked weakly from the couch. "She and her friend saved my life. Don't be stupid."

There was a nervous chuckle from Owen and Cliegg clapped his son on the back, "Go on, Owen. Help the man. We'll wait for you."

It was only ten minutes later when the Owen returned with Luke in tow. Owen, noticeably pale through his desert tan, was shaking his head as he stepped into the room.

"How are you, Shmi?" he asked his step mother tenderly.

"I'm better, Owen. The light hurts my eyes but I'll be Ok. How is it out there?"

"There are ten dead Tuskens out there," Owen stated grimly. "Half of the banthas had been taken from the stable, but we retrieved them all thanks to, uh, Luke."

"Did you kill them all?" Beru asked hopefully.

Luke flinched slightly and shook his head, "No. It was a big raiding party. I estimate another two dozen fled once they realized I was too much for them."

"Thank you," Cliegg said, his throat suddenly husky. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You saved my wife's life."

"It was our pleasure," Leia said carefully.

The twins looked at one another and the princess nodded at Luke.

"So I'm guessing you won't believe this," Luke said reluctantly, "but I hate to lie about it. We're from the future."

"The future?" Beru asked blankly.

"Yes, from about 30 years in the future. I'm, uh, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

The foursome gasped at that name.

"Luke Skywalker?" Shmi demanded, sitting up slightly. "Related to Anakin Skywalker?"

"He was my father," Luke said quietly. "And Leia is my twin sister."

Shmi sat up abruptly and then groaned in pain, lifting her hand to her head.

"Shmi, lie down," Cliegg ordered.

"No," the woman gritted out. "No. I have to see ... Luke, come here and let me look at you."

Luke obediently dropped down next to his grandmother and looked straight into the woman's brown eyes. Within seconds, both had tear filled orbs.

"You look so much like my Ani," Shmi murmured. "Oh, to imagine that I would see this day. He has children?"

"Well, he'll have children," Leia explained, smiling slightly. For all that Anakin Skywalker had been a total wreck in her timeline, she knew he had loved his mother. Her death at the hands of the Tuskens had apparently precipitated the crisis with Padme.

Which was, no doubt, why the Force had tossed them here.

"We haven't been born in this timeline," Luke explained. "We're only 25 years old and we're from 30 years in the future."

"Of course, of course," Shmi said with a nod, even as she turned her gaze on Leia.

"You don't look like my Ani at all," she murmured.

"I take after my mother," Leia explained softly. "And again, Anakin isn't married to her yet in your timeline."

"Married!" Owen exclaimed. "I don't know a lot about the Jedi, but they don't marry."

"Well, our father wasn't quite a typical Jedi," Leia responded carefully. "Though we're of the view that Jedi should marry if they wish. Both Luke and I are married, and Luke and his wife have a little boy."

"I'm a great-grandmother!" Shmi cried out. "How delightful. And ... am I alive in your time? I'd be quite old, I suppose."

The twins exchanged hesitant looks and Luke rolled carefully to his feet.

"No," he said solemnly. "No, in our timeline, you were taken by Tuskens on this very night and … you were murdered."

There was a squeak of horror from Beru, but Shmi only nodded, "When they took me, I knew I was dead."

"Not now," Luke stated firmly, even as he shifted his attention to Cliegg. "If I may, sir, you should augment your defenses."

"I will," Cliegg vowed. "I promise you we won't let them get near again. I won't lose your grandmother now that I have another chance to protect her."

"Not that they're likely to return," Beru said practically. "They are a violent race but a strong show of force frightens them. I'm sure being attacked by a Jedi will make them avoid our farm in the future."

"We won't assume that, though. I promise," Owen said.

"Good, good," Luke said, his gaze now fixed on the man and woman who had raised him. A moment later, he succumbed to his longing and suddenly swept forward to engulf the couple in a group hug.

Owen and Beru flinched in surprise before melting into their nephew's embrace.

"That was pretty odd, I know," Luke said, coughing in embarrassment. "The truth is that in our timeline, I spent many years on Tatooine with you. To see you again, to see this farm, is a gift."

"You spent time here?" Owen demanded in a bewildered tone.

"Why not with your parents?" Shmi demanded.

Luke and Leia sighed with unnerving synchronicity.

"It's complicated and truthfully very sad. People died and I ended up here, without Leia."

"Luke."

"I know, tingling toes, which means it's time for us to leave. If you see Anakin, tell him not to trust Chancellor Palpatine."

"I doubt I will ever see him again," Shmi said sadly. "I've not seen your father since the Jedi took him 10 years ago, my dears."

"Well, if you do see him, tell him that Palpatine is an evil Sith Lord." Luke requested.

The twins vanished.

/—-

_Lars Farm_

_Tatooine_

_10 days later_

"Shmi!" Owen cried out, storming into the kitchen excitedly.

Shmi winced slightly at the noise, causing Owen to cringe in regret, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. My head is better but loud noises …"

"Yes, I forgot. Listen, Shmi, someone's here! A starship just landed 500 meters from the farm!"

"A starship?" the woman asked in surprise, carefully placing the blue milk in the cooler. "I wonder who that could be."

She followed Owen out of the kitchen and up the stairs, with Beru appearing out of nowhere to support her. She smiled but allowed the young woman to help her even though she could take the steps on her own now.

Cliegg waited upstairs, his blaster pointed toward the ground. The winds were brisk today and the sand, already swirling, was even more tumultuous due to the recent descent of the glorious white ship which sat peacefully only a short distance away.

Shmi watched as a ramp lowered and two figures descended. They walked together toward the farm and one of them was tall, and his hood blew back, and …

"Ani!?" she cried out, lurching forward a few steps. "Ani?"

"Mom!" Anakin Skywalker yelled, breaking into a run. "Mom, oh Mom. You're Ok!"

"Yes, my Ani, yes, I'm all right. Oh, Anakin, Anakin. To think that I would see you again. My grown up son, so handsome!"

"Mom," Anakin said again, lifting her up into his arms and hugging her tightly. "I was so worried about you."

"Worried?" Shmi asked in a puzzled way, then shook her head slightly, "But let me introduce my husband and his son and wife, please. Anakin, this is my husband Cliegg, and his son Owen and wife Beru."

"And this is Padme," Anakin replied, gesturing to the slight form at his side. The woman lifted her hands to push back her hood, revealing the face of a gorgeous woman with very familiar features

The four members of the Lars' families gasped softly in recognition. Obviously this was the twins' mother!

"Please, come inside," Beru said. "Shmi was injured 10 days ago and really needs to rest."

"Injured?" Anakin demanded.

"I'm fine, Ani, I'm fine. Better than fine. But come."

Anakin obediently guided Padme down the step into the main living area of the house, then turned to face his mother.

"Mom, please sit down and tell me how you got hurt."

Shmi obeyed with a slight pucker between her eyes, "I really am fine, Anakin. I promise. But yes, 10 days ago I was attacked by a raiding party of Tuskens. They almost abducted me and then ... a miracle happened."

"What kind of miracle?" Padme asked softly.

Shmi looked down at the floor, sighed, then looked up, "One that is hard to believe. Two people from the future appeared and rescued me."

"The future?" Anakin demanded. "That's impossible!"

"They, uh, they were your children, Anakin."

Anakin's eyes widened in shock.

"My what?" he choked out.

"Your children," Owen Lars stated. "Luke and Leia Skywalker."

"I don't have any children!" Anakin howled indignantly. "I'm 19 years old."

"They said they were from 30 years in the future and are 25 years old so yes, they aren't born yet in this timeline. But they said ... they said in their timeline I was abducted by Tuskens and murdered, Ani. The Force brought them back to save me."

Anakin Skywalker abruptly collapsed on a nearby couch and Padme sat down next to him, her face concerned.

"My nightmares," the Jedi murmured.

"What?" his mother asked.

"I've been having dreams, Mom, of you in pain, of you dying! I had them for weeks on end and they stopped, yes, 10 days ago, but I was so afraid that I ... I had to see you, I had to know you were all right."

"I am all right, my Ani," Shmi said reassuringly. "But if Luke hadn't intervened, I would have been lost. My destiny has changed."

Anakin suddenly found himself sobbing softly in relief. What a gift. What a gift!

"So who was the children's mother?" Padme asked in bewilderment. "Jedi are not permitted to marry."

Shmi glanced at her husband and then smirked slightly, "Well, they didn't say, but I must say that Ani's daughter has dark hair and eyes and looks remarkably like you, Padme."

Padme Amidala Naberrie blushed and then smiled slightly.

"So are my children still here?" Anakin demanded.

"No, no, they were only here about an hour. That's how we know they truly are from another time. They rescued me, talked to us, then vanished. Just vanished!"

"Did they say anything about the future?" Padme asked softly.

Cliegg and Shmi looked at each other and Cliegg nodded reluctantly, "They said ... they said that some sad things happened and that Owen and Beru helped raise Luke here. No more details than that."

"Luke was raised here?" Anakin demanded in horror. "I must have died in their timeline. I wouldn't raise my child here!"

"Ani," Shmi remonstrated gently.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Anakin replied with a groan. "I just hate Tatooine. I hate it. I'm sorry, that's rude, but I do."

"You did not have a good life here," Cliegg said softly. "I understand."

"They did say one thing more," Beru said suddenly. "Don't you remember? They said to tell Anakin that Chancellor Papatine was not to be trusted, that he was Bith Lort."

Anakin and Padme gazed at one another in bewilderment.

"Chancellor Palpatine was bith lort?" Ani repeated confusedly.

"Lord, not lort," Owen chimed in.

"And not ... not bith," Shmi added, struggling to remember. "Rith? Lith? No, Sith! Sith Lord!"

Anakin Skywalker sucked in a shocked breath, "What?!"

"Yes, that's right. Tell Anakin that Chancellor Palpatine is not to be trusted and is a Sith Lord. That's what Luke said."

Anakin stared at Padme, his breath fast, "That's impossible, Padme. Palpatine...he's my friend and mentor! He's a distinguished politician from your own homeworld, respected and admired."

Padme stared back, her mind working furiously. It had been ten years since Valorum had been removed as Chancellor and Palpatine installed, and in that time ...

"He has garnered more and more emergency powers, Anakin," Padme said solemnly. "Some of the senators are concerned."

Anakin frowned, "But he is wise, and we are in the midst of a war. We can't afford to let beauracratic nonsense get in the way of needed action to defeat the Separatists."

A minute slid by in silence, then another minute, as Anakin thought furiously.

"He has been gathering power, hasn't he?" he muttered meekly.

"Yes," Padme said, her eyes suddenly horrified. "And Ani, if he is a Sith, that means he's actually behind the war! Behind Dooku, and the Separatists!"

"It seems impossible. I've known him so long."

"Anakin, your children from the future showed up and rescued your mother and warned us about Palpatine. I think we need to take that warning into account."

Anakin Skywalker lifted his eyes and gazed at his mother, who was staring at him in concern.

"You're right, Padme. As soon as I can, I'll share my concerns with the Jedi Council. If Palpatine is the Sith Lord we're searching for, a concentrated focus by the masters should reveal it."

"And if he is responsible for the deaths of millions," Padme averred fiercely. "He will be arrested and tried for his crimes."

/

_Padme's Apartment_

_Coruscant_

_4 months later_

"So he put up quite a fight, Padme," Anakin muttered, flopping on the bed and groaning. "We went in a group to arrest him and he fought us and badly wounded a couple of the masters. He threw Force Lightning at us! Ouch! He even had the nerve to appeal to me, to our friendship. What a jerk!"

"Is he in custody?" Padme asked worriedly.

"No, no," Anakin said, gesturing for a bottle of blue milk. It floated obediently out of the kitchen cooling unit and into his hand. "No, he's dead. He fought like a cornered loth wolf and Master Windu managed the final blow. There is no doubt that he was indeed a Sith Lord. He was so powerful! Crazy."

"I'm glad he's dead."

"Me too, my love. Me too."

"Ani?"

"Yes?"

"Ani, I've been thinking about our children from the future."

"So have I. And I don't want … I don't want them raised by the Lars…"

"Or the Jedi in the Temple. I want to raise them, Ani."

Anakin blinked, frowned, though, and sat up, "Of course, Padme. Of course you will. And I can come and visit as much as possible. I mean, they keep sending me here and there but when the war ends I should have more time. And the war should end soon ..."

"No, Anakin," Padme interrupted firmly. "No. Listen. Your mother told me one more thing, right before we rushed off like idiots to Geonosis to try and rescue Obi-Wan. She said that the twins said that the no attachment rules were stupid, and that both our kids were married. Our son Luke had a son. No, Ani. I've been thinking and it is ridiculous and unhealthy that the Jedi are not permitted to marry. I say that either the Jedi Order changes, or you leave. I don't want to raise the kids as a single mother. I don't want this secrecy anymore."

Anakin Skywalker stared at her in disbelief. Leave the Jedi?

"I won't make you leave, of course," Padme continued, this time in a gentler tone. "I'm just asking you to think about it. Please."

"I don't even have to think about it," Anakin said suddenly. "I'll leave. For you, I'll leave."

"I don't want you to resent me," Padme murmured, kissing her husband passionately and then drawing back.

"I won't," Anakin promised. "Padme, I love you so much. I will love our children. I want them to know me, to know you, to know my mom and the Lars family. You're right, this is unhealthy. I don't know, with Palpatine gone it seems like much that was confused is now clear to me. Yes, I'll leave."

"Who knows?" Padme murmured slyly. "Maybe we'll encourage some others to follow us. The Jedi need to change."

"I've always been a weird Jedi," Anakin murmured, leaning forward to draw his wife into a loving embrace. "Now I'll be a weird non-Jedi who is a powerful Force Sensitive. We'll make it work."

"Together," Padme agreed.

/

_Luke and Mara's apartment_

_Theed_

_Naboo_

_Current Timeline_

"So you had another fling across time and space?" Mara asked as her husband emerged from the refresher.

Luke shook his head incredulously, "Was it that obvious this time?"

"Very. So where did you go?"

"Tatooine."

"Yuck!"

"No, it was good. Leia and I ended up rescuing our grandmother Shmi from being snatched by Tusken Raiders. I got to see my aunt and uncle, though young versions of them, of course. And meet our grandma. It was great."

"That's wonderful, darling," Mara murmured just as a quivering wail filled the air.

"I'll get him," Luke said with a smile, walking rapidly into the nursery. His little son lay in his crib, squealing indignantly. Luke leaned over and lifted the baby into his arms. The infant stopped crying hysterically and merely sobbed slightly.

"I know you're hungry, little guy," his father told him, walking out of the nursery and towards the living room where Mara was waiting. "And I'm no use where food is concerned. But I just want you to know that I love you, Biggs. I love you so much and I'm thankful that I can be a big part of your life."

_Author Note: I hope you all enjoyed this one. Saving Shmi was so much fun! Thanks again to those of you taking time to read and review this fic. And thanks again to my wonderful editor and husband! _


	6. Chapter 6

_Author Note: At the request of a reader, I am including a very fluffy chapter post Chapter 5, from that timeline. Also, I think that Chapter 5 didn't show up in the fanfiction feed properly, so make sure you've read it first before reading this one._

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_18 years later_

"Speech! Speech!"

Master Yoda, Grandmaster of the Order, lifted a placating hand and tottered over to a nearby stage, which he climbed with grim determination. He was so tired.

He looked out over the crowd and smiled slightly to himself. It was a fine crowd filling the lavish lawn of Varykino consisting of ...

"Jedi!" he began.

There was a roar from the assembled Jedi, who raised their glasses in honor of their Grandmaster.

"Others!" Yoda continued, gesturing to the groups of individuals who had left the Order to marry (gack) and have children. Reluctantly, the Old One admitted that the change had been good for everyone. There were numerous young ones being born with Force abilities, and no one had lost his or her mind in the last 20 years due to unrequited love for a romantic partner.

"Senators and families!"

Another cry of enthusiasm.

"Miners!"

Kyber crystals were being carefully dug up in a previously unknown mine here on Naboo.

"Gungans!"

Hysterical cheers along with a muttering of bad Basic, so bad that Yoda's speech patterns seemed downright reasonable.

"And Naberries!"

The crowd rose to their feet, clapping enthusiastically for the Naberries who nobly hosted this annual fete at their beloved Varykino.

"Today my 896th birthday it is!" Yoda exclaimed.

More cheers.

"Spend with noble folks 896 years is not enough."

There were frowns of confusion from some, smiles from others.

"You well I know not half. Other half, too tall. Some half as short."

Now everyone looked confused.

Yoda sighed. He was tired, so very very tired.

"Too exhausted I am. Leave you in good hands I do. Friends, the end this is. Farewell."

The old Jedi smiled gently, leaned on his stick, and abruptly vanished, his faded clothes falling to the ground as the crowd cried out in shock.

Ten minutes later, 15 year old Leia Skywalker elbowed her brother in the side and sat up, "Winter, over here!"

"She's freaked out," she muttered to her twin even as she twisted her long, dark hair into a hasty bun and piled it on her head. Even in the shade of her favorite tree, it was warm today.

"I see that," Luke agreed, popping the rest of his dweezel stick into his mouth.

"Hi," Winter Organa murmured nervously. "Um, can you tell me about what just happened?"

"Sit down, Winter, sit down!" Leia replied graciously, gesturing to the grass beside her. "Luke, care to explain?"

Luke brushed off his fingers and sat up, "I'm sure that looked very odd."

"Very," Winter replied, blowing her breath out lowly. "Very weird. He just seemed to disappear! Was it some kind of trick?"

"No, no," Luke replied cheerfully. "No, Jedi and Others will sometimes disappear when they die."

"He's really dead?" Winter asked, her eyes wide. "Yoda, the Grandmaster of the Order is dead? My parents will be upset."

Leia shrugged and patted her friend on the arm, "He was really old, Winter. 896 is a lot of years. And truthfully, the last 20 years have been tough on him. Even he reluctantly admitted that the creation of the Order of the Others has been good, but it's hard for old brains to learn new ways. He was stressed out. Obviously, he knew it was time to go."

"Did you know him that well?" Winter inquired in a surprised tone. "My parents said that Master Yoda was a rather remote person."

"Not well, exactly," Luke replied, lifting his hand toward a distant refreshment table. A moment later, 3 bottles of water began dancing their way through the crowd to them. Luke grabbed one bottle and handed the other two over to his companions. "Father and Master Yoda aren't each other's favorite people. In fact, Yoda tossed him from the Jedi Order."

"And then your dad started the Others?" Winter asked curiously.

"No, Kenobi started the Others," Leia chimed in, taking a sip of water. "He fell in love with Duchess Satine and decided he wanted to leave the Jedi as well. Father has many skills, but diplomacy isn't one of them. Besides, when it was just the Skywalker clan, the Jedi were moderately mellow. Once Kenobi left, and Ahsoka, and then a dozen others, and then three dozen, Yoda and Master Windu bowed to the inevitable and began negotiations. This was all when we were pretty young, though I seem to remember Leia was in on some of the early meetings."

"I was," Leia agreed, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "You should have heard Mother, Winter. She just laid into Master Yoda one day, telling him that if he was going to be such a stick in the swamp that she'd just plant him and see if he'd grow. Something like that. It was a great insult. He yelled back in that weird Basic of his and they argued for a while and an hour later things were mostly settled. I was pretty little, but I'll never forget it. Mom is amazing!"

"She is," Winter agreed, smiling. "My father says her political abilities are exceptional, and he's not one for false compliments."

"Ok," Luke said in a distracted voice, leaping to his feet and marching toward the house. "See you later, Winter."

"What?" Winter asked Leia in a puzzled tone.

"Dad just asked Luke to come help with the twins. Grandma Shmi is taking them out by the lake and Dad doesn't want one of them falling in."

"So you can hear his voice in your head?"

"Yes," Leia said, a trifle uncomfortably. Winter was a dear friend, and she was afraid of making her nervous. Though anxiety wasn't in her Force sense.

"I envy you, you know," Winter murmured aloud.

"Everyone has gifts," Leia said quickly. "We have Force Sensitivity but you have ..."

"No, not the Force stuff," Winter interrupted. "Your family. I love my parents tremendously but I don't have any siblings or cousins. It's lonely. You have your twin brother and small twin siblings. Though that must be a little odd, huh? They are only 5 standard years old?"

"4. They will be 5 next month. Yes, it was quite a surprise to us when Mom announced the pregnancy when we were 10. But they are wonderful in a crazy way. Alixa is calming down a little; she'll play plushies with me for twenty whole minutes now. Ace would prefer to climb trees, and fall off of them, rather than play with plushies, though the twins have a tremendous bond, just like me and Luke. But yes, you are right, we are truly blessed. It isn't just Mom and Dad and the sibs; it is my grandparents and uncles and aunts. We are very happy. I'm so glad my parents decided to leave the Jedi. We could have been sent off to the Jedi Temple as infants and we never would have known ..."

Leia trailed away and shook her head. It was hard to imagine such a terrible fate.

"Leia!" her little brother squealed, running up to her and knocking her over with enthusiasm. "Leia! Grandma Shmi makes the best blue milk pudding in the galaxy!"

Leia rolled to her feet and smiled at Ace, even as her gaze fixed on Grandma Shmi. Shmi, in turn, could hardly take her eyes off of her elder granddaughter. It had been 18 years since the time traveling Luke and Leia had appeared and rescued her from the Tusken Raiders, but she still remembered their faces vividly. Every year, _her_ Luke and Leia looked more and more like her saviors from long ago.

It was truly a miracle.

"Princess Winter, Leia," Shmi said with fond smile, "would you care to join us down by the lake? Owen and Beru just arrived and their kids are eager to dash around, but we might need some more accomplished swimmers if the children fall in."

"By all means," Leia replied, hooking her arm in Winter's and drawing her toward the beach. "It will be our pleasure."

_Author Note: Fluffy enough for ya? _


	7. Chapter 7

_Tantive IV_

_In Orbit Around Tatooine_

"Darth Ditra," the girl snapped with a defiant lift of her chin. "Only you could be so bold. The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this. When they hear you've attacked a diplomatic mission ..."

"Don't act so surprised, your Highness," the Sith interrupted coldly. "You weren't on any mercy mission this time. Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies. I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," the princess replied fervently. "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."

"You are part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor. Take her away!"

A guard shoved the diminutive princess toward the exit into the _Devastator_.

"Holding her is dangerous," Captain Trent cautioned his superior. "If word gets out, it will ..."

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, hidden in a nearby alcove, exchanged horrified and incredulous glances even as they pressed further into hiding. Once the Sith and her escort were out of hearing range, the twins leaned their heads together.

"We can't communicate telepathically with her around," Luke whispered very softly. "She might hear."

Leia rolled her eyes, "What _is_ this?"

"I don't know. I'm going down to Tatooine to rescue the Lars."

"I'm rescuing Winter," Leia stated fervently.

Luke hesitated, then nodded, "Be careful, Leia."

"I will."

/

_Holding Cell_

Devastator

_In orbit around Tatooine_

_1 hour later_

The door slid open and Princess Winter Organa, Heir of Alderaan, stood up with a mixture of fear and determination. No matter what, she would not reveal the location of the Rebel base.

The slight form of Darth Ditra, daughter of Darth Vader, entered the cell, flanked by two guards.

"Come," the woman said coldly.

Winter frowned slightly in confusion. Ditra's face somehow looked different. It was the eyes, she realized. They were brown, not yellow. And there were other slight changes. The woman looked ... kinder ... somehow, and had changed into a dark tan outfit which was far more mellow than her usual unremitting black.

"Come," the Sith repeated, and Winter felt the ghost of a squeeze around her windpipe.

Ok, that was more the woman she knew and feared.

There was no point in fighting this. She obediently marched toward the door and into the corridor, following the straight backed Sith Lady into an elevator, which whisked them three levels down. Five minutes later, they entered a hanger bay where several shuttles were waiting.

"Take her aboard," Ditra ordered coldly.

Winter was shoved toward the shuttle closest to space, her brain whirling in confusion. What did this mean? Had the Death Star plans been found? Was all that they had lost on Scarif for nothing?

Aboard the ship was another surprise. Fifteen members of the crew from the _Tantive IV _were seated on the floor, their hands manacled. Five stormtroopers stood in the middle of the shuttle, blasters at the ready.

Winter Organa shook her head in bewilderment and turned as Darth Ditra entered the shuttle. A moment later, the dark haired woman had a blaster in her hand. A moment after that, she'd fired numerous stun bolts at the stormtroopers, who fell on the floor with a shuddering quake of armored limbs and torsos.

The princess stared with shocked eyes even as Ditra shoved the blaster into her hand and stared straight into her eyes.

"I'm not ... what did you call her, Darth Ditra?" the woman stated quickly.

"Um, what?" Winter asked, forcing her mouth closed with difficulty. Princesses did not allow themselves to gape unbecomingly.

"I'm an alternate ... is her name Leia?"

"What kind of trick is this?" Counselor Smet demanded, rising to his feet.

"Smet," Leia replied, throwing her arms around the startled man. "I can't believe I get to see you again. I'm a Leia from the future and from a very different timeline. I know that sounds crazy and you probably don't believe me but we need to leave right now."

"This. Is Ludicrous!" Smet snarled. "Your Highness, this is some kind of trick."

"This is so complicated," Leia sighed, then suddenly jerked and turned toward the window. "Oh great."

Winter turned as well and her mouth gaped open. Forget her propriety lessons! Entering the hanger bay, flanked by stormtroopers, was Darth Ditra herself. The Sith was, indeed, a nearly perfect double of the woman at her side. Winter heard the gasp from Smet and they exchanged shocked looks.

"Go, go!" Leia ordered, striding toward the exit. "This shuttle may have a tracking device so don't go straight to ... I'm assuming Yavin IV? Is that where the base is?"

Winter gulped in shock. What was this?

"I guess that's a yes," Leia said, heaving a sigh. "Listen, there is a weakness in the Death Star, a small thermal exhaust port. In my timeline, we managed to blow it up but not before Alderaan was destroyed."

Another gasp from Winter and the dark haired woman looked contrite, "I'm sorry. I'm throwing so much information at you. Get away, find another ship, and may the Force Be With You."

A moment later, Leia was off the ship and striding toward her Alter.

Winter was on the floor now, frantically removing manacles, "Lieutenant, get us out of here!"

"Yes, your Highness."

Darth Ditra, Dark Lady of the Sith, frowned hideously. What was going on? She had emerged from a holo conference with her father and proceeded to Winter Organa's cell for a quick interrogation. Given that the woman was a pampered princess, she would probably quickly give up the vital information, the location of the Rebel base.

She had arrived to find the cell empty. A nervous captain had informed that she herself had ordered the princess removed only a few minutes previously. The officer had quickly died from a snapped neck, which had proven a poor decision as it had been challenging to track down where her imposter had gone.

And now she was faced with her imposter and she was a near perfect copy, except that she had brown eyes and exuded Light.

Ditra lit her red lightsaber and strode forward even as the other woman lit a blue one.

"Who are you?" Ditra demanded angrily, striking down with her saber. The woman backed up a few steps, keeping her saber in a defensive posture.

"Ah, that's a simple question with a complex answer. I'm you from a different timeline. My name is Leia, by the way. What's yours?"

Darth Ditra glared at the woman in outraged fury, "My name is Leia. My father gave me that name. How dare you abscond with it?"

"Your father?" Leia demanded in bewilderment, then focused as the red blade drew closer. A moment later, the Sith struck toward her and Leia exchanged a few blows before retreating again. It was almost certain this Alter was a better swordswoman than she was. Luke kept harassing her about learning to fight better, but she'd been busy!

Ditra pressed closer and Leia ducked under a TIE, even as the shuttle carrying Winter and the Rebels flew out of the hanger. At least they had a chance of escaping now, especially since she'd ordered the tractor beams disabled. It was hilarious, really, that the Imperials had followed her orders so readily.

"Your father," Leia repeated again, gasping slightly from exertion. "As in, tall, dark and armored? Darth Vader?"

Ditra looked mad enough to spit, her yellow eyes blazing, "Yes, Darth Vader, my father. Now I will ask the questions. Who created you?"

"Created me?"

"Yes, you are clearly a clone."

Leia choked, her eyes wide, and then grinned slightly. This woman was sort of her, and she hated to be laughed at. It was best to distract Darth Ditra for as long as possible to give Winter and Luke time to act.

"I am_ so_ not a clone," she replied with a chuckle. "I'm from the future, from a different timeline. A better one if you're rampaging around the galaxy working for Darth Vader."

Now the woman was truly enraged, "How dare you lie to me? Time travel is impossible! Impossible."

The two exchanged a few more blows, with Leia backing away again. It was hard to know how this would end. She hoped she wouldn't lose a limb. And if that did happen, would the damage last into her own timeline?

"Everyone keeps saying that," Leia commented cheerfully, "but reality is, I am a time traveler and I'm here to try and straighten things up, but if you and Vader are doing a daughter and daddy dance wreaking devastation on the galaxy, it may be beyond me."

There was a brief tingle of warning behind her and she turned slightly, just in time to meet a stun ray in the torso.

She collapsed, consciousness fading.

/

_Lars Farm_

"I will ask you one last time, where are the droids you purchased from the Jawa scum?"

Beru Lars was weeping in terror, her eyes fixed in horror on her the stormtrooper holding a blaster against her husband's head.

"I ..." she began.

At that moment, a TIE fighter shot overhead, low enough that everyone, Imperials and Lars alike, flinched. As it passed overhead, there was a strange sound and a moment later, a slim form landed gracefully on the sand, green lightsaber flashing.

The man threatening Owen was hurled against the wall of the house, his neck shattering against the hard surface. The black clad, lightsaber wielding figure spun to block the blaster fire from the stormtroopers even as he yelled to Owen and Beru.

"Take cover in the house," the man shouted. "I'll take care of the Imperials."

Owen and Beru staggered into the nearest doorway and collapsed in terror. Outside, they could hear screaming and shouting and the sound of buzzing and then, suddenly, it was quiet.

They heard footsteps and drew closer together in fear, only to relax at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru? It's Ok. You can come on out."

"Luke!" Beru cried thankfully, rushing out the door. She stopped in disbelief at the sight before her. It _was_ her nephew, but he was clad in black and holding a lightsaber. He seemed older somehow, with fading scars on his face.

He was their rescuer.

"Luke?" she repeated again, wonderingly. "I don't understand."

Luke stepped forward and swept her into his arms, "Oh Aunt Beru, it is so good to see you."

He stepped back, wiping away tears, and shook his head, "I know this is bizarre. I am Luke, from a different future. I'm 6 years older in my timeline. Periodically the Force throws me back in time and space to try and help out with a problem."

"So you knew that we were in trouble?"

Luke grimaced even as he strode into the house and began quickly gathering a few important items, "In my timeline, I'm afraid you died when the Imperials came looking for the droids. We need to leave, though. It won't take long for word to get out that something is wrong here on the farm, plus we need to intercept your Luke."

Beru and Owen exchanged stunned looks.

"So, its, um, Ok for you to meet our Luke?" Beru asked worriedly.

"Oh yes, it has happened before," Luke explained, stuffing the last of the Lars' limited valuables into a convenient bag. "It's always complicated, but it doesn't seem to cause any major problems with anything existential."

"Well, let's go then," Owen said.

/

_Conference Room_

_Devastator_

_In orbit around Tatooine_

Leia sat up abruptly and turned toward her left arm where a needle was just being withdrawn.

"Awake, I see," Darth Ditra commented coolly.

Leia turned her head, blinked at her Alter, then glanced down at her manacled wrists. Great.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Leia remarked petulantly. "I just get so sick of Imperial snarky interrogation tactics. Of course I'm awake. You just pumped me full of stim drugs. I have to admit it is creepy dealing with a thoroughly annoying copy of me."

"You are not me!" Ditra snarled angrily, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Well, you're right of course. Thankfully I am not idiot enough to be a Dark Side acolyte."

Ditra huffed a few times, reminding Leia that the woman was only 19. She had been a bit more impetuous at 19 than she was now.

The younger woman glared, paced back and forth, then turned to stare at Leia, "I did a scan of you while you were unconscious. You are indeed not a clone."

"I told you that," Leia pointed out.

"So as hard as I find it to believe, maybe you are from the future."

"What other possibility is there?"

"I don't know. My father may."

In spite of herself, Leia flinched. She hadn't run across Sith Darth Vader recently and she wasn't thrilled with another meeting.

"You seem afraid," Ditra stated. "Did you turn against your own father in your timeline?"

"Well, I didn't know he was my father, and he didn't know I was his daughter, so not really. I mean, we were on opposite sides of the war but the family relationship was unknown."

"You are a Rebel?" Ditra asked in a horrified tone.

"Totally," Leia riposted with a sly grin which morphed into a puzzled frown, "I admit I don't understand how you and he are working together. What about the Rule of 2? How can you and Vader and Palpatine all be Sith Lords at once?"

Her captor stared at her, her face hard, "Palpatine is dead, and has been these ten years."

Leia's eyes widened and she grinned, "That is the best news I've heard this hour. Awesome. But still, how did Vader find you?"

"I'm asking the questions," the Sith snarled.

"Fine," Leia said with a roll of her eyes.

There was a pause as Ditra seemed to be considering what to say next.

"You are weak," she finally decided on, "as are all the Jedi."

Leia rolled her eyes again, "I'm not a Jedi."

"You carry a lightsaber."

"Yes, for protection. I presumably could be a Jedi but I've been busy with other things, like the crazy political situation."

Ditra made a very rude retching noise, "A politician? That's even worse than being a Jedi."

Leia rose to her feet and glared directly into the eyes of her alter, "What's wrong with being a politician? Padme was."

Her evil alter put her hands on her hips, "Who is Padme?"

A few seconds went by.

"Who is Padme?" Leia repeated incredulously. "Who is _Padme?_ She's your mother! My mother!"

The sardonic expression on Ditra's face ran away into bewilderment and Leia suddenly felt a surge of awe and ... what was that ... hope?

"Padme," Ditra repeated. "She was ... how do you know about my mother? Your mother? I know nothing about her."

"Why didn't Vader tell you?" Leia demanded in bewilderment. "I mean, he didn't know about me but he's known you for a while, obviously."

The other woman bit her lip, then turned away resolutely and walked over to the transparisteel window which looked out over vibrant Tatooine, "He says that the past is of no importance. He refuses to tell me anything about her. I wondered if perhaps ..."

She trailed off now and Leia finished with unnerving understanding, "Whether it was a one night stand. It wasn't, if that makes you happy. In my original jaunt through time, I went back to the time of the Clone Wars and unmasked Palpatine, so to speak. I got to meet Padme and I saw the way Anakin looked at her, the way he spoke of her. It wasn't a one night stand. They were married!"

The Sith turned now, her brow furrowed, "Who is Anakin?"

Leia stared in disbelief and shook her head, "Anakin Skywalker. Anakin ... you don't know that Anakin Skywalker, who was a Jedi, became Darth Vader? He's your father! My father, too, disgusting as that is to acknowledge."

Her younger self was pale now, quivering with a mixture of longing and anger, "He was a Jedi?"

"Yes, and turned against the Jedi, and slaughtered them, and aligned himself with Palpatine, and wreaked havoc across the galaxy. He also lost a fight and was badly burned at some point. Is your Darth Vader in armor?"

"Yes," Ditra whispered softly, her eyes fixed blankly beyond Leia's left shoulder. "My mother was Padme ... what was her last name?"

"Naberrie Amidala Skywalker," Leia continued with at least a modicum of sympathy. This poor girl was a mess! "She was elected queen of Naboo at age 14 and was a senator later. Totally gorgeous woman. You and I look a lot like her, by the way. She and Anakin were married right at the beginning of the Clone Wars and she ... died in childbirth, I guess. In my timeline, and probably yours. Much as I loathe Vader, I have to admit he is rather a tragic figure. He was insanely in love with Padme and her death must have broken him. In fact, we think that he turned to the Dark Side to try to save her, and his actions resulted in her death but I admit that is speculation."

"I don't ..."

There was a sudden buzz and a large holoscreen turned on at the end of the room.

"Father!" Ditra exclaimed, taking a step toward the screen even as it lit up to reveal the masked head and torso of Darth Vader.

"My daughter," the man replied in his deep bass voice, "I sense a great disturbance in the Force."

The young woman drew herself up to her full diminutive height and nodded, "Yes, Father, we have rather a complication."

Leia had stepped out of sight when the screen lit up, but was not particularly surprised when Ditra grabbed her with the Force and pushed her into the line of sight of the holocam.

There was a stunned pause and Leia distantly felt a crash of rage in the Force, enough to make her shiver slightly.

"A clone?!" the Sith Master hissed. "Who would dare make a clone of you?"

"I'm not a clone!" Leia yelped indignantly.

"She isn't, Father. She says, and I think she is telling the truth, that she is a time traveler from an alternate future."

Another moment.

"That is impossible!" the deep voice snarled.

"Everyone says that," Leia snarled back, "but it is possible. Because here I am."

"Father, was Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker my mother?" Ditra demanded.

A longer pause as Darth Vader looked first at his daughter, then at Leia, before demanding harshly, "How do you know of her?"

"She was my mother," Leia said patiently, "and I eventually found out. I think it thoroughly pathetic you didn't tell your own daughter about her mom. You really can be such a jerk. Hey, serious question here. I asked your daughter but she wouldn't say. How did you two end up together? Padme died in childbirth I assume ..."

Another quiver of rage in the Force, this one mixed with intense sorrow before Darth Vader's distant shields went up.

"Ok, that sounds like a yes," Leia continued determinedly. "I'm sorry. I hate your guts but she was a great lady and her death was obviously devastating to you."

Vader seemed beyond words so naturally Ditra continued vehemently, "Were you once Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi?"

The elder Sith quivered in outrage and turned his masked gaze on Leia, "Why are you telling my daughter about my pathetic former self?"

"Oh, I don't know," Leia said with a snarky grin. "Maybe because she might just run into a young man with the name of Skywalker who might just be her twin brother. And if so, it might be nice if she didn't just kill him on sight."

There was a long, stunned pause.

"What!" both Siths cried out together.

/-

_Author Note: This one is going to last at least another chapter, maybe 2. Thank you again to all of you reading and reviewing my work! _


	8. Chapter 8

_Author Note: Someone asked about "Darth Ditra" – I came up with it as something close to "daughter". Darth Vader is kind of like Dark Father, Darth Ditra, Dark Daughter._

_Conference Room_

_Eclipse_

_In orbit around Tatooine_

"I have a twin brother," Leia continued firmly. "And so do you. Or did. Assuming he's still alive in this timeline."

Ditra was wide eyes with shock and yes, longing. Vader was completely immobile onscreen, but Leia felt the ripples of shock in the Force from both father and daughter.

"A son," Vader said finally. "I have a son?"

"I have a brother?" Ditra asked, her eyes flickering briefly from yellow to brown.

"Yes," Leia said to both of them.

"What is his name?" The cyborg Sith demanded angrily.

"What do you think his name is?" Leia demanded back, her eyebrows raised.

There was a pause during which Ditra looked from Leia to her father, and back again.

"Luke," Vader said finally, his voice reverent.

Leia blinked and nodded, "Got it in one. So you and Mother talked about our names, huh? Because in my timeline, you didn't know I existed but I am named Leia, just like your daughter."

A full minute ticked by as Vader stared at her, then shifted his attention to Darth Ditra.

"You are saying," the elder Sith said slowly, "that Pad ... that your mother named you."

"Yes, obviously," Leia said with a roll of her eyes.

"She lived to give birth."

"How could she freaking not have lived to give birth?" Leia demanded in exasperation. "Your daughter is alive and is named Leia!"

"I named her that," Vader riposted, "in honor of Pad ... her wishes. I assumed that … that Kenobi ... that he ... after she died …"

"Cut her open like a meiloorun and snatched the baby?" Leia demanded with a horrified grimace. "That is truly disgusting. Why do you have to be all negative like that? No, she survived and gave birth, then tragically died but really! Kenobi was an idiot at times but he wouldn't do anything horrific like that. I'm sure he tried to save her."

Darth Ditra had an equally nauseated look on her face, "You thought Kenobi cut me out of my mother's womb, Father? That really is nasty!"

"Enough," Vader snapped with obvious discomfort. "My daughter, have you determined the location of the Rebel base?"

The black clad woman winced openly and shook her head, "Princess Organa escaped, I am afraid."

"What?!" The Emperor thundered angrily.

"I helped her escape," Leia said helpfully. "I managed to get a few glimpses of Darth Ditra here and threw my hair up to look like hers, and then marched into the cell block and freed her and a bunch of Rebels. It was quite fun to snarl like a Sith Lady for a few minutes, though I wouldn't want to make a lifetime of it."

She sensed a surge of ire from her double and turned a snarky look on the young woman, who stepped forward and slapped Leia across the face.

Leia wasn't about to put up with that nonsense. She promptly leaped forward and tackled Ditra, managing to get her manacles on the woman's throat within seconds. Ditra's eyes widened with surprise and a moment later Leia found herself being thrown into the air, though she was able to cushion herself with the Force so her landing wasn't too hard.

"Stop this puerile display!" Vader snarled across the parsecs.

"She started it," Leia said, rolling to her feet with an insolent shrug of her shoulders.

"Leia," Vader warned in an admonishing tone.

"Yes?" chorused both women.

The elder Sith actually groaned loudly enough to be heard, then turned his attention on his daughter, "Leia, don't harm your alternate."

"She's a Light Sider," Ditra muttered sullenly.

"She has valuable information," Vader replied sternly. "Continue to search for the droids on Tatooine, but if they have not been recovered in 12 hours, order the _Devastator _to meet me three parsecs from Alderaan."

Leia paled in spite of herself. Alderaan!

/

_Destroyed Jawa Sandcrawler with lots of dead Jawas lying about_

_Tatooine_

"If they traced the droids here they may have learned who they sold them to, and that would lead them back ... home!" Luke Skywalker exclaimed in horror.

"Wait, Luke!" Obi-Wan cried out as the boy took off toward his landspeeder. "It's too dangerous!"

Luke vaulted into the seat of his craft, only to freeze in surprise as the roar of another speeder impinged on his startled ears. A moment later, his aunt and uncle's speeder drew up to his own in a cloud of sand.

Luke reeled in shocked relief as he recognized both Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru standing up to carefully descend from the speeder. There was a third person as well, but the youth was focused on his family.

"Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru," he exclaimed, leaping out of his own speeder and rushing forward. "I'm so thankful to see you. I was worried the Empire was on their way to the farm."

"They were," Beru replied quietly, stepping forward to envelop her nephew with a loving hug. "We were rescued from certain death by a most unexpected visitor."

Luke turned as Obi-Wan, who had hurried over to the group, emanated a strangled cry.

"Hi Ben," the visitor said.

Luke let out his own startled yelp as he took in the features of the Other. He was exactly the same height as Luke, with a very similar build, and had dark blond hair like Luke, and looked a lot like Luke. Except older.

"What is this?' Ben demanded, clearly shaken.

"Sorry, I'm sure this is a big surprise," Other Luke said with a smile, then swept forward to give his old mentor a hug.

"It's been too long, Ben, way too long," Other Luke continued, his eyes glimmering with tears. "But we don't have a lot of time. We need to head towards Mos Eisley and get off planet with the droids."

"Um, who are you?" Luke asked timidly.

"I'm you in about 6 years, but from a different timeline," Other Luke explained bluntly. "I know that sounds impossible but it isn't. The Force keeps tossing me and Leia back in time to fix messed up things. This particular timeline seems particularly messed up. What happened to Leia? How did she end up a Sith?"

"Who is Leia?" Luke asked, shooting a puzzled glance at Owen and Beru. Beru shook her head and shrugged. She had no idea what her Alter Nephew was talking about."

"Erm," Kenobi said nervously, shooting an anxious glance at Luke.

"Oh, right," Other Luke said with a scowl, "you just had the _talk_ with my younger self, didn't you? Darth Vader betrayed and murdered your Jedi Knight Father and all that jizz. I know you had good intentions, Ben, but that lie brought me untold suffering in my timeline."

"It's a lie?" Luke squeaked in bewilderment.

"You told him about Anakin being a Jedi?" Owen roared almost simultaneously. "I gave you strict orders ..."

"Stop, both of you," Other Luke interrupted firmly. "Listen, I don't know how much time I have before the Force yanks me away and Obi-Wan is weird about this topic, so I'm just going to spit it out and you'll have to deal with the horrible emotional fallout. Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker and he is your father, Luke. He is mean and evil but he is your father. And this Darth Ditra character is your twin sister Leia, who in my timeline was the Princess of Alderaan and a noted Rebel leader. So yeah, that's the truth, not the half lies that you've been hearing from the Lars and now Kenobi. That. Is. The. Truth."

A stunned minute slid by with total silence from everyone gaping in horror and dismay at the Jedi.

"Anakin is ... is that true, Obi-Wan?" Beru hissed suddenly. "You told me Anakin was killed defending the Jedi Temple!"

Kenobi frowned, "I thought it best not to share the difficult truth and you, Older Luke – I strongly disagree with this. Your younger counterpart was not ready for this knowledge."

"So it's true," Luke blurted out. "Darth Vader, Emperor Vader, is my father?"

"You know what, Ben," Older Luke stated, taking deep breaths to control himself, "as I said before, your choice to conceal the truth nearly ended up with me turning to the Dark Side. I bought the lie that Vader had murdered Anakin Skywalker and rushed to face him when I wasn't ready. We fought, he cut off my _hand_, and then he revealed that he was my father. My soul teetered on the very edge, Obi-Wan. I always longed to know my father and I was suddenly faced with a Sith father who had torn the galaxy apart to find me. I chose a suicidal leap into a chasm which I managed to survive, but I was very close to Falling."

"Your father cut off your hand?" Luke repeated in horror.

Luke held out his prosthetic limb towards his alter self, but kept his clear gaze on Kenobi, "What happened to Leia!? Why is she with Vader?"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, seeking wisdom, and found it. The Force had brought this version of Luke Skywalker back in timeline and thus everything was changed. He might as well go with the Force flow.

"She was adopted by the Organas," he explained abruptly.

"Ok," Other Luke replied in a puzzled tone. "Same as in our timeline."

"But Palpatine sent agents to abduct her when she was only 3 years old. She was moved ... somewhere, we don't know where, and kept in protective custody along with a host of other children of potential adversaries to Palpatine."

Other Luke groaned aloud and shook his head, "As hostages. That is terrible."

"Yes," Kenobi agreed, looking down and scuffing his boot on the ubiquitous sand. "They were not physically harmed and even well cared for, we believe. The Organas received frequent holo updates though no communication was allowed. But they saw her maturing and she was well fed and clothed."

"And indoctrinated, no doubt," Other Luke said with a shake of his head.

"No doubt," Obi-Wan agreed, and took a deep breath. "Then 10 years ago, Palpatine died in an extremely suspicious shuttle crash, Vader was crowned Emperor, and a month later his daughter was introduced to the galaxy as his heir."

Other Luke's eyes grew distant with wonder, "He found her somehow, and killed Palpatine."

"We believe so."

There was another long pause and Owen finally found the words to speak, "So what you're saying, Old Man, is that my step-brother lost his freaking mind and became an evil Sith Lord, and my niece, Luke's twin sister, is his apprentice, and you've been lying to us since you placed Luke in our arms as a newborn."

"What I told you was true," Kenobi began weakly.

"From a certain point of view," Other Luke and the old Jedi finished together.

Other Luke waved an impatient hand, "I know this is a lot to take in but we need to get moving. That Death Star won't blow up by itself, after all."

/-

_Leia's Cell_

_Devastator_

_2 hours later_

The door slid open and Leia looked up warily. Her hands had been freed, which was a relief, but she had a shock collar around her neck. If this was some kind of interrogation, then she'd have to fall back on sheer determination to hold out.

A stormtrooper stepped into the cell carrying a small table, which he proceeded to set down in the narrow space between bench and door. Two more troopers brought two chairs, and a protocol droid followed up with a tray containing a steaming pot of something, 2 cups, and a plate of ... was that dweezel?

Lastly, Darth Ditra marched into the room, dismissed the troopers, and sat down on one of the chairs, gesturing wordlessly towards the other.

Leia narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then rose elegantly to her feet and walked over to the chair across from her adversary.

"Well, this wasn't quite the kind of interrogation I expected," she stated calmly. "I was expecting a torture droid, not dessert."

Ditra shook her head even as she poured something fragrant from the pot into the two cups, "I wouldn't bother with a droid. You are a version of me, and we are both incredibly strong willed. Also, Father told me not to harm you."

"That was generous of him," Leia replied, and was surprised to hear the bitterness in her tone.

The other woman looked up suddenly, her eyes startled, "Did Father hurt you in your timeline?"

Leia felt a sudden and surprising surge of anguish. This cell was so much like _that_ cell.

"He tortured me twice," she said, lifting a slightly shaking hand. Well, this would not do. She needed to stay calm. The tea was, she realized with a lurch, from Alderaan, which wasn't helpful in maintaining a settled demeanor.

"He tortured you?" Ditra asked in surprise and some distress. The girl shook her head to clear it, then said calmly, "Well, he didn't know you were his daughter, right?"

"Right," Leia agreed grimly, "though he chopped off my brother's right hand, and he did know Luke was his son."

Ditra winced slightly and shook her head, "Ok, that's harsh. I can understand why Father isn't your favorite person."

"No, he is not," Leia agreed with very precise diction, and then took a bite of dweezel.

It was excellent dweezel.

"So," the younger woman asked in a hesitant tone, "what is your brother like?"

Leia lifted her gaze from the sticky dessert and focused on the young woman. Again, a rush of compassion filled her. Poor thing. She'd been raised by Vader, presumably, and naturally was a walking disaster.

"I suppose," Leia said carefully, "I could tell you a little about my Luke. Yours may be different. He might even be dead, which is dreadful but possible."

"He isn't," Ditra said confidently, touching her breastbone.

Leia nodded with understanding, "I know exactly what you mean. You can feel his presence. It's like something has been missing your whole life and now you know, inside, that that something is your twin brother. It was the same for me in some ways. We met for the first time at age 19 and we didn't know we were twins for 4 more years. But he always completed me. We were compatriots and friends and confidants ..."

She shook her head slightly, her gaze faraway.

"But what is he like?" Ditra asked, single-mindedly.

Leia shrugged, "Well, my Luke is someone you probably wouldn't appreciate very much. Very kind, very noble, very determined, very strong. Very Light."

Ditra scrunched up her nose disdainfully, "Is he a Jedi?"

"Well in my timeline, yes, but not the same as the Jedi of old. I freely admit the old Jedi Order had their really screwed up aspects. Luke doesn't want to resuscitate the Jedi, he wants to remake them into a healthier entity. For one thing, we are so done with the no attachments rules of the Old Order. We're both married and Luke has a son."

"You're married?" Ditra demanded, wide eyed. "To whom?"

"Oh no, I am not telling you that," Leia responded firmly. "You would not approve."

"Another Jedi?" the Sith demanded angrily.

Leia surprised herself by laughing aloud, "No, not at all. He's ... well, he's scruffy and something of a scoundrel. But we love each other."

"Love," the other woman said with a tightened jaw. "Love is weak. The Sith do not love."

Leia frowned, "You don't think your father loves you?"

Ditra huffed and angrily grabbed a dweezel, taking a ferocious bite, "I am his servant and his apprentice. The reality of our biological relationship is of no concern. He does not love me."

Leia sighed, "You know I hate Vader, but that is obviously not true."

"Why do you think that?" Ditra demanded skeptically.

"Because in our timeline, when he found out Luke existed, he tore the galaxy apart trying to find him. When he did find him, he tried to claim Luke as his son. And when they met again a year later, Vader killed the Emperor to save Luke's life. No, Darth Vader is a man who attaches strongly to people. He was devoted to his mother and his wife, and eventually he threw off his chains of slavery to the Dark Side to save his son. I am sure he cares for you deeply. I am not sure if it is love, exactly. If it is, it is a twisted, obsessive sort of love."

Darth Ditra stared at Leia for a full minute of silence even as her eyes filled slowly with tears.

"I think you are wrong," she said finally.

"And I know I'm right," Leia replied firmly.

/

_Author Note: Thanks so much for those of you reading and reviewing this fic. And thank you to my editor and best friend, my beloved husband! _


	9. Chapter 9

_Bail Organa's Office_

_Palace_

_City of Aldera_

_Alderaan_

_3 days later_

"But if we begin the evacuation, the Empire will know we are aware of the Death Star's capabilities," Bail Organa argued.

"And an evacuation might well incite a panic, too," Queen Breha added.

Older Luke rose to his full, not very impressive, stature and stared straight into Queen Breha's eyes, "Your Highness, in my timeline, that is exactly the thought pattern of presumably you and many others, including Carlist Rieekan. And Alderaan was destroyed in its entirety. It was lost, and all those on the surface and in near space with it. Don't make the mistakes of my timeline, please."

Bail and Breha exchanged horrified glances and then looked at Kenobi, who was seated nearby, a hand stroking his ancient beard.

"General Kenobi?" Bail asked in a subdued tone. "Given that Winter has, we hoped, escaped with the help of the other Leia, the Death Star may not even come to Alderaan. Do you really think we should begin an evacuation?"

Obi-Wan looked first at the younger Luke, then at the older Luke, then at the Organas, "Our timeline is different, of course, since Palpatine is dead. But as far as we know, the intentions of both Emperor Vader and Governor Tarkin are the same. I agree that you should start the evacuation. Winter was, sadly, captured briefly. That ties Alderaan to the Rebellion and Tarkin, according to our friend from the future, was eager to destroy a planet to show the power of the Death Star."

"We'll never get everyone off," Breha stated in despair.

"You won't have to, I hope," Older Luke said confidently. "As I told my counterpart and Obi-Wan, there is a design flaw in the Death Star. You can see it on the schematics right there that we got off of R2D2. It can be destroyed with an X-Wing, and you have some available. Indeed, I did destroy it, but not until Alderaan was lost. This time, I hope we can obliterate it before we lose a planet, any planet."

Breha frowned, "If the Death Star does arrive soon, it is likely that its TIE squadrons will interfere with the evacuation."

Older Luke sighed and ran a hand down his face, "Yes, and some fleeing refugees will be lost. But if we lose some and distract the Empire from an X-wing destroying the station, I'm afraid we'll have to count that as a win."

"You are sure you can make that shot?" Bail asked skeptically.

"Of course," older Luke said, "but I won't be. Younger Luke will, and I'll cover him."

Younger Luke stared in awe at his older counterpart, "Are you sure that _I_ should do it?"

"Two words, younger self," Older Luke said with a grin. "Womp. Rats."

Younger Luke chuckled softly. "I gotcha. It's that easy?"

"It's an impossible shot without the Force," the other Luke said gravely. "You have to trust it. It _isn't _easy, but you can do it. I'll be zipping around making sure no TIE's attack you."

"Sounds like a plan," Bail said, taking a deep breath.

Breha nodded, "We'd better start the evacuation."

"And Luke," older Luke said, "the controls of the X-Wing are similar to the X-34 landspeeder, but you still need some practice out there."

/

_Darth Ditra's Office_

Devastator

_In hyperspace en route to Alderaan_

Leia watched her guards depart and then focused her attention on the whorls of hyperspace out the transparisteel window.

"Where are we?" she asked Ditra, who was seated at a desk frowning at her datapad.

The other woman looked up and waved a casual hand, causing Leia's manacles to drop to the floor.

"We'll be at Alderaan in about 12 hours," she stated absently.

Leia threw up her mental shields even as she struggled to retain her equanimity.

"What is wrong with you?" Ditra demanded, rising to her feet. "Every time I mention Alderaan, you get weird."

"You'll pardon me if I find it reprehensible that the Empire would destroy a populated planet," Leia bit back even as she fought back tears. In her mind's eye, once again Alderaan burst in a deadly holocaust of light.

"What makes you think the Empire is going to destroy a populated planet?" Ditra asked in what sounded like a genuinely puzzled tone.

Leia stared at her incredulously, "Death Star. We are talking about the same battle station, right? It has the capacity to destroy planets. In my timeline, it did destroy Alderaan."

"Really?" Ditra said with confusion, "but Palpatine lived, right?"

"And Tarkin," Leia added, staring at her counterpart intensely.

Ditra huffed, "Well, Tarkin still lives and indeed commands the Death Star but I assure you he won't blow up Alderaan. The Organas are allied with the Alliance, clearly, so he may destroy the capital city of Aldera, but he won't destroy the whole planet. That would just be stupid!"

Leia took a deep, cleansing breath and reached to the Light Side for calm, "Why would it be stupid?"

"Why?" Darth Ditra demanded, beginning to pace in an agitated manner. "It seems pretty obvious to me. Blow up a planet with millions of non-combatants is a sure fire way to fuel the Rebellion. I'm guessing that happened in your timeline? Recruitment went up for the Rebels?"

Leia blinked at her in surprise, "The answer is yes, but I have to say that your political acumen is indeed worthy of Padme Amidala. The natural consequence to the destruction of an entire planet and its culture did indeed turn many wavering planets against the Empire. What seems obvious to you was clearly not obvious to Tarkin or Palpatine."

"See!?" Ditra responded with a smug smile. "Palpatine was stupid. Father wouldn't do such a thing."

For a brief moment, Leia felt the pressure of Vader's cyborg hands on her shoulder as Alderaan was blown into dust. Again, she struggled to maintain her shields and her calm. It was long ago and a different timeline ...

"You were from Alderaan, weren't you?" Ditra asked softly, stepping close to her othertime twin.

Leia blinked and took a deep breath. She mustn't reveal the names of the Organas, but ...

"Yes," she stated softly. "I grew up on Alderaan and was on board the Death Star when the battle station fired on my homeworld. Tarkin ordered it, most smugly, and Vader allowed it."

Ditra's eyes widened and she shook her head slowly, "Ok, I understand your concern. But really, Father wouldn't. He might well order the destruction of a city ..."

"Which is reprehensible!" Leia interrupted angrily.

Ditra waved an irritable hand, "Collateral damage. But a whole planet? There is no legitimate reason for such a violent act!"

"Why have a planet destroying battle station if you aren't going to use it?" Leia demanded.

The other woman sighed and picked up a random holopad before returning it to her desk, "Look, the Death Star was already half built when Palpatine died and Father ascended the Throne. It couldn't easily be altered in its form and function. And when I said we won't destroy a planet, I meant a populated planet. We plan to blow up barren worlds and moons for mineral extraction."

"Mineral extraction?" Leia inquired with a roll of her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, really! Think of it. There are numerous planets with cores made of valuable materials – think of how much raw ores could be collected with ease if a planet with large quantities of, say, tydirium ore was blown into easily collected pieces."

Leia stared hard at the younger woman and shook her head slightly. She could tell that Ditra was being honest, but really ...

"It's too dangerous," she said in frustration. "Don't you see? Maybe you're right, maybe Vader wouldn't destroy a populated planet. But Tarkin is a loose laser cannon! Or someone else might take control of it. It shouldn't exist."

"Tarkin wouldn't ...," Ditra began in frustrated, then turned as the door slid open.

The woman who stepped in was taller than both Leias, and wore her long hair piled severely on her head.

"Jade," Ditra stated.

"Mara!" Leia gasped.

The auburn beauty shot a bewildered look at Leia, then bowed a courteous head toward Darth Ditra, "My lady."

"You know her?" Ditra demanded in surprise.

Leia stared at the red head and shook her head a little to clear it, "Er, yes. I'm glad that Mara Jade survived in this timeline."

"Why?" Ditra demanded.

"Because she's my sister-in-law in my timeline," Leia said matter-of-factly.

/

_Palace of Aldera_

_12 hours later_

"Since your daughter has proven reluctant to provide the location of the Rebel base, I regrettably will be forced to test this station's destructive force on the planet Alderaan."

Queen Breha Organa felt herself grow pale as she gazed into the skeletal face of Governor Tarkin. The Moff stared back through the holoscreen, his visage smug.

"Alderaan is peaceful," she managed to gasp out, "we have no weapons. You can't possibly ..."

"You would prefer another target, a military target, then name the system!" Tarkin interrupted. "I grow tired of dealing with your family, Queen Breha, so this will be the last time I ask this question. Where is the main Rebel base?"

Breha shot a horrified look at Bail, who nodded slightly.

The Queen turned back, "Dantooine. They're on Dantooine."

The Moff smiled grimly, "There, you see, your Highness? I was sure you could be reasonable. Continue with the operation, Captain, you may fire when ready."

"What?" Breha cried out in dismay.

"You're far too trusting, your Highness. Dantooine is too remote to be an effective demonstration, but you can die knowing that we will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."

Breha turned horror stricken eyes on her husband, who stepped forward and wrapped her in his arms.

Together, they waited for the end.

/

_In the Vital Death Star trench_

Luke Skywalker, age 19, took a deep breath, calmed himself with the Force, and waited ...

Waited for the Force to speak.

Above and behind him, another TIE blew up in a fireball, victim of the incredible shooting prowess of his alternate from the other timeline.

Luke squeezed the trigger and two torpedoes tore out of his ship and into the thermal exhaust port.

"_Get out of there, Luke!"_ he heard in his head, and Luke obediently lifted his X-Wing up and away from the doomed station.

/

_Queen Breha's Office_

_Alderaan_

"Commence primary ignition."

Breha closed her eyes and huddled closer to her husband. In this moment, at the end of all things, she was thankful that she would die in his arms.

There was a sudden sound and Breha cringed slightly, only to realize a moment later that she was still alive. She turned with a gasp toward the holoterminal, which now showed only static.

"Breha, look out there!" Bail cried out, even as he pulled her toward the balcony door. A moment later, Queen and Viceroy were outside and staring up into the skies, where a brilliant explosion cascaded across the firmament of the heavens.

The Death Star was destroyed.

/

_In space_

_Outside Alderaan_

"_Great shot, Kid!"_ Luke heard in his head. "_That was one in a million!"_

Luke laughed even as he prepared for hyperspace. At that moment, a star destroyer dropped out of hyperspace at vector 15, and his brow narrowed in alarm.

"_Who's that?"_ he demanded of Older Luke.

There was a pause, and the reply was grim, "_I'm afraid it's your twin sister, who has my twin sister in custody. I'm going to surrender. You'd better get out of here, Luke. You probably aren't ready to meet her."_

_ "Maybe I should surrender," _Luke argued. "_Didn't you say Father was willing to change for your sake?"_

"_I'm not sure now is the time,"_ Older Luke responded worriedly.

The delay in a decision resulted in its own decision. Both X-Wings found themselves in a dogfight and then caught in a tractor beam.

"_Ready or not, here I come_, _twin_," Luke thought to himself.

_/-_

_Docking Bay 35_

Devastator

_In space outside Alderaan_

Darth Ditra, accompanied by her Alter, waited impatiently for her troops to push ladders up to the two captured X-wings.

She waited impatiently for the two pilots – surprisingly, both versions of her brother were dark blond with blue eyes – to come down the ladders under the blasters of a legion of troops.

The blasters were set for stun, of course.

She waited for both versions of her brother to be searched and their lightsabers removed. The older version of her brother was manacled as he was clearly a trained Force user, but she wouldn't bother tying up her actual twin.

She waited impatiently for the troops to file out of the hanger at her command.

And then Darth Ditra, Sith Lady, ran forward with a cry of joy and threw her arms around her twin brother.

"Luke!" she cried out excitedly.

The young man's eyes were wide with surprise but after a pause, he threw his arms around his twin sister.

"Leia," he murmured into her dark hair. "My twin."

"_They are adorable together,"_ Other Leia commented to Other Luke.

"Indeed they are," Other Luke said aloud, kissing his sister on the cheek.

_/_


	10. Chapter 10

_Darth Ditra's private quarters_

Devastator

_In orbit around Alderaan_

_3 hours later_

Darth Vader, Emperor of the known galaxy, strode into the room and halted. It had been an unbelievable few days, but this moment was, bar none, the most bizarre of his entire life.

His lovely daughter stood front and center, her dark hair piled high, her eyes flashing amber. Her Force sense was thoroughly perturbed.

Slightly behind her stood his ... his son.

His son. He had a son.

The boy was the very image of Anakin Skywalker as a young man, though like Padme, he was short. But the sun kissed bronze of his face, and the blue eyes, and the shape of his chin, were so much like his former self. The boy was a blazing firmament in the Light Side of the Force, untrained but incredibly powerful. His glory was sufficiently uncomfortable that Vader had thrown up shields when he landed on board the _Devastator_. He realized now that his daughter was not shielding from her brother; no doubt, she was drinking in the experience of finally being reunited with her twin.

Darth Vader now turned his attention on the other two individuals in the room. The other version of his daughter was as gorgeous as his Leia, though her face with thinner and her brown eyes dark instead of Sith yellow. She was, indeed, a closer image of ... of _her_... than even his Leia. She was shielding like a master, but he knew from experience that Leia, in any form, was a powerful Force Sensitive. As for the other form of his son – well, the older Luke Skywalker was a maelstrom of controlled power in the Light Side of the Force. It was incredible.

"Father," Darth Ditra said firmly, interrupting his thoughts.

He swung his attention back to her and his ... his son.

"Your Highness," Luke Skywalker said awkwardly.

"Father," the older Luke said with a mischievous grin.

"Vader," Older Leia said in an irritable tone.

The Emperor of the galaxy actually groaned loudly enough for a sound to emanate from his vocoder. Younger Luke flinched slightly at the sound, but Older Luke stepped forward boldly.

"It's good to see you again, Father," he said with a smile.

Darth Vader allowed three breathing cycles to pass before lifting an accusing finger toward the transparisteel window, "Would anyone care to explain why my Death Star is a rapidly expanding cloud of debris outside of Alderaan?"

"I blew it up," younger Luke stated, suddenly defiant.

"I helped him by directing him toward the vital thermal exhaust port and shooting off the TIE fighters trying to take him down," Older Luke added.

"And I am glad it was destroyed," Ditra said angrily, taking a few steps closer to peer into the mask of her sire. "I. Am. Glad."

Vader had been too perturbed and bewildered to focus on her Force sense, but now a gentle probe revealed that his daughter was _enraged._

"Why is that?" he asked in a deceptively soft voice. He cared for Ditra greatly, but arguments between them were often towering affairs involving broken walls and shattered furniture.

(He had never attacked his daughter physically. Not like he had attacked ... her.)

"You told me we weren't going to destroy populated planets," Ditra suddenly yelled. "We talked about it! I thought we agreed that was a stupid decision. Do you know what kind of an idiot I look like? I was arguing with the other version of myself just 12 hours ago, saying no way would we destroy a populated planet, and then ..."

"Leia!" Vader interrupted firmly, stepping forward to place gentle hands on her agitated shoulders. "Of what are you speaking? The Death Star would not have destroyed Alderaan! The capital city, perhaps, but only if the Organas failed to provide the location of the Rebel base."

Ditra used the Force to push her father's gauntleted hands off of her shoulders, even as she took an indignant step away from him.

"Do you think I'm too stupid to understand the energy signature of the super laser?" she huffed angrily even as she called a holopad to her hand. "Star Destroyer _Coruscant_ was in orbit around Alderaan, at your orders, I gather. It survived the explosion and sent me Tarkin's threats to the Organas, plus the energy readings from the battle station. It was powered at 100%, Father. He was about to fire! He would have destroyed Alderaan, with a population of billions! What idiocy!"

The Emperor gazed at his daughter blankly, then gently pried the holopad from her hands with the Force. He took it, stared at it, analyzed the data, and then the great cyborg hands curled in fury and the holopad shattered into a thousand pieces.

"And now you've broken my holopad," Ditra snapped snarkily.

"So, let me guess, your attack rancor went off script?" Leia inquired sarcastically.

Ditra stared at her alternate, then at her father, her brow creased in confusion, "Is that true, Father? Did Tarkin disobey your direct order concerning the use of the Death Star?"

The giant stood still for a long moment, then nodded his head even as he strode over to the window to stare out at serene Alderaan, "Yes, my daughter. I was in agreement with your analysis, Leia. Destroying Alderaan would have fueled the Rebellion, not suppressed it."

"How dare he?" Ditra snapped incredulously. "How dare he? I've seen you strangle lieutenants for a stray comma fault in a report. How did he imagine he could destroy Alderaan without incurring your full wrath?"

Darth Vader gazed at the debris field of the Death Star before turning away to face his diminutive, fiery daughter, "I needed him, Leia."

"Needed Tarkin? Why?"

"I am not a politician, Ditra. I hate politics. Tarkin was supremely gifted with the more delicate aspects of ruling the Empire."

"You hate politicians in general," Ditra said darkly.

"Your mother was a politician, and I loved her to the ends of the galaxy," Vader admitted.

"Which I didn't know!" Ditra snarled angrily. "Why in all the black holes of the Maw didn't you tell me that my mother was Padme Amidala Naberrie and that you were married to her and that you were a Jedi Knight? I thought you loathed and despised politicians! So I did too!"

"Leia, I was waiting for you to mature some more. You have my power and your mother's giftedness in politics. I would have discarded Tarkin eventually, but you weren't ready."

"Well _maybe_ if you had told me that my mother was a politician and that you loved her, then _maybe_ I would have studied politics more, instead of focusing on pleasing you by being a vicious Sith Lord!"

"You have ... you have always pleased me, Leia," Vader said, his voice horror stricken through the vocoder. "You, and now your brother, are my highest priority."

Ditra's mouth gaped open in disbelief. Her chin trembled with emotion and suddenly tears were in her eyes.

"I never knew that, Father. I never did. I thought ... I thought I was just a tool for you. That all you cared for was my power in the Force."

"Leia," Vader responded, even as the walls shook in his distress.

"Ok, stop," Older Luke said firmly, lifting his own hands and sending calming waves towards his father and sister from this timeline. "Father, can we talk somewhere privately? I think you need to know some things about your children."

Vader stared at Ditra and forced himself to turn away from her, "As you wish."

He strode into Ditra's office, his body rigid with anguish.

"Sounds like you and our father don't communicate well," younger Luke said softly, putting a tentative hand on his twin's shoulder.

Ditra ran a shaky hand over her eyes and shook her head, "I guess not."

Vader turned as Alter Luke walked into his office and shut the door with a quick Force whack of the button.

"I have been in this timeline for longer than usual," the young man said firmly, "so I'm going to be blunt. Your children, both of them, need to know that you love them. That is your primary responsibility to them. Not protection, not the galaxy on an Alderaanian marble platter, your love."

Vader shook his head vigorously, or as vigorously as was possible with a heavy black mask which made his neck ache more or less always, "Love always fails. The Dark Side is power."

The Other Skywalker groaned aloud and cast his eyes towards the ceiling in silent supplication.

"It is truly bizarre," Luke continued after a moment, "how every version of Darth Vader says exactly the same thing. The Dark Side is power, the Dark Side is power. So tedious. Let me suggest something to you. You lost your mother, whom you loved. You lost my mother, whom you adored. You lost Ahsoka Tano, and Commander Rex and the other clones, who were, if nothing else, compatriots. You've locked yourself away from truly caring for others because you're afraid that if you do, you will lose those people as well. I know you do care deeply for your children but your Leia obviously doesn't know it. As for your son Luke, let me assure you that most mornings, he stared into the skies, hoping and praying for his father to come for him. Don't shut him out. Love him."

Darth Vader found himself actually shaking with anguish at these words, and Ditra's desk shook with him.

"Don't destroy her office, Father," Older Luke said gently. "Calm yourself and allow yourself to hope for something more than vengeance and power and the Dark Side."

Darth Vader stared into those blue eyes, and his great limbs shifted uneasily, and then the Emperor of the galaxy reached out a hand toward his Alter Son.

"I will try, Luke."

/

"Luke!" Other Leia said as Luke and Vader walked back into Ditra's personal quarters.

"Yes, I know, tingling toes."

"What does that mean?" younger Luke asked worriedly.

"It means that we're about to leave this timeline," Older Leia said briskly. "I guess our work here is finished."

"Don't turn to the Dark Side, Luke," Other Luke urged. "It's a miserable way to live."

"Wait!" Ditra cried out. "I want to know, whom did you marry, Leia?"

Leia blinked in surprise, "It probably won't work out in your timeline ..."

"Tell me! Most men can't handle me!"

Leia laughed aloud at this and nodded, "I understand that. Ok, Han Solo."

Young Luke gasped in shock, "The Corellian smuggler?! The owner of the _Millennium Falcon_?"

Luke and Leia disappeared.

/

_Biggs Skywalker's nursery_

_Middle of the Night_

"Everything Ok in here?" Mara Jade Skywalker asked softly.

Luke smiled and ran a gentle hand over his sleeping son's back, "Biggs woke up and was a little upset, so I came in to calm him down."

Mara smiled in a thoroughly besotted way at her 11 month old baby in the crib. The child was curled up in a ball with his little butt in the air.

"He is so cute."

"He is indeed."

"So did you have another trip somewhere?" she asked him as they quietly left the room.

"I did!" Luke said with a smile. "Given that they take no time at all in this timeline, I'm always a little surprised you can tell."

"It feels Lighter again," Mara explained.

Luke heaved a soft sigh of relief as he tumbled into bed, "I'm glad. This one was a bit of a doozy. It was a different universe where Leia was found by Vader as a child and became a Sith Lady."

Mara rolled into bed next to her husband, her eyes wide, "Wow. What did our Leia think about that?"

"She was actually sorry for the girl. She had a rough life with being abducted as a political hostage as a little girl, then found by Vader, who assassinated Palpatine and then raised her from age 9 onward. We managed to save Alderaan and I gave Vader some good parental advice before coming back here. Maybe it worked in getting that version of Vader to be a decent father to his Luke and Leia."

Mara snorted at this, then smiled a little, "Well, given that the Light is stronger, probably you succeeded."

"I hope."

/

ALTERNATE TIMELINE

_Imperial Palace_

_Imperial City_

_Coruscant_

_2 years later_

"How do I look, Kid?" Han Solo asked, preening before the mirror.

"You look good, Han," Luke Skywalker stated, walking over to stare at the mirror. Both men were dressed up, and both definitely had somewhere to go.

"You don't need to worry about me, Luke," Han said abruptly.

Luke flushed slightly and lifted an eyebrow, "Me, worry?"

"I know you're worried, but you don't have to be. I admire your sister and we are surprisingly compatible. Not everyone gets a love story like you and Jade."

Luke huffed in frustration even as he turned away to stalk over to the window. Outside the Imperial Palace were crowds as far as his Force augmented eyesight could see. Everyone and his second cousin wanted to be here in Imperial City, the day that the Imperial Prince and Princess married their consorts.

"She bought you, Han," Luke said, his face turned away from his friend. "What kind of woman buys a husband?"

"Quite a price, though," Han drawled, swaggering over to stand next to the prince of the Empire. "The liberation of all the Wookiees on Kashyyyk and freedom for Wookiees throughout the galaxy. Chewie is my best friend. It's worth it to me."

Luke shook his head and then smiled sadly, "For all that I don't quite approve of Leia's methods in getting you to marry her, I have to say you are amazing for my sister. You started your acquaintance by insulting her, and you don't put up with any of her guff. She truly respects you, and she doesn't respect that many people. Plus your fights, while legendary, are also clearly enjoyable for both of you."

"She's not so bad, you know," Han said, his brow furrowed worriedly.

"Oh, I adore Leia," Luke explained quickly. "Finding her was finding the missing piece of me. I just ... I just want you two to be happy together, like Mara and I will be."

The door slid open and Darth Vader stepped into the room. On each side of him, hanging on a cyborg arm, was a gorgeous woman in her wedding finery – one brunette, one redhead.

Han Solo's lip twitched up on one side and he drank in the sight of Leia Vader, her brown eyes alight with excitement.

"I think we'll be very happy, Kid. Very very happy."


	11. Chapter 11

_Throne Room_

_Sundari Royal Palace_

_Palace_

_Mandalore_

"You should have chosen the Dark Side, Master Jedi," Darth Maul said coldly, striding forward ominously toward his nemesis. "Your emotions betray you. Your fear and yes, your anger. Let your anger deepen your hatred."

"Don't listen to him, Obi," Duchess Satine of Mandalore gasped, struggling against the mild Force hold that tightened against her throat and left her dangling in the air.

"Quiet," Savage Opress, brother to Darth Maul, snarled.

"You can kill me," Obi-Wan Kenobi began, then froze in astonishment as a slender form appeared out of thin air behind the crimson and black faced Sith. The red haired woman's eyes opened in startled surprise even as Maul spun around to face the sudden threat.

Mara Jade allowed herself a quarter second of astonishment before whipping a vibroblade from her boot and stabbing it into the right thigh of the Zabrak Darksider in front of her. The male roared in pain and jumped toward her, his red blade lighting up. She ducked and rolled away just as two lightsabers lit up behind her. She leaped to her feet, her own blue lightsaber flaring into life, and clashed it against Darth Maul's red blade.

"Luke!" she cried out to her husband, who was battling another Zabrak male. Both Zabraks were using red bladed sabers so ... maybe they were unknown Inquisitors?

"Mara?" Luke yelped back in surprise, even as he slipped to the right, ducked to the left, leaped up and over, and stabbed Savage in the back. A moment later, he leaped over to confront Darth Maul, who was attacking his beloved wife with tremendous strength and power.

Darth Maul was shocked and bewildered and enraged. He had been on the verge of wreaking vengeance on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had defeated him on Naboo more than ten years earlier, and suddenly Jedi were here? How had he missed their approach?

"Luke, Type Z?" Mara inquired, blocking Maul's blade and retreating a few steps back to take refuge near a column.

"Type Z it is!" Luke replied insouciantly, dropping to his knee and slashing towards Maul already bleeding leg. Maul stumbled away from the attack and Mara jumped right, spun, and sliced Maul's head off.

The Zabrak's head, eyes wide with surprise, bounced along the floor for several meters before coming to rest next to a potted Cassius tree plant.

"Are you all right, Mara?" Luke asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," his wife said firmly, glancing around in bewilderment. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Luke replied truthfully. "No idea. Who were they?"

"Inquisitors, maybe?"

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan demanded from near the throne, where he was holding Satine upright with one strong arm. He had dispatched his two guards and rushed over to help his love, and now he was staring with confusion and suspicion at the two completely unknown Light Siders who had come to his aid.

Luke turned and his eyes widened in delight, "Obi-Wan!"

Mara stared at the ginger haired, bearded man in amazement, "As in, Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Yes!" Luke said excitedly. "So we must be in the Clone Wars!"

Obi-Wan blinked and shook his head even as he guided Satine over to the throne, where he lowered her gently. The poor girl had been through so much the last few weeks.

"I don't know you," Kenobi said, straightening up and glaring into Luke's eyes. "How do you know me?"

"Um, I know you from, well, let me start from the beginning. My name is Luke Skywalker, and this is my wife, Mara."

Kenobi gawked in amazement, "Skywalker?"

"Skywalker, yes."

"Related to Anakin Skywalker?"

"My father," Luke explained cheerfully. "But Mara and I are from the future, like 27 years in the future, so I haven't been born yet."

Obi-Wan stared at the young man. He was indeed dark blond, with blue eyes and a jaw so much like Anakin Skywalker. But ...

"First of all," the Jedi Master said firmly, "time travel is impossible."

Luke waved an amused hand, "I know, I know. Everyone always says that."

"You claim to have done this before?" Satine demanded, sitting up slightly. She felt a little better after being Force choked while Maul had pontificated, but she was still tired and glad to rest.

"Yes, I have done it many times," Skywalker explained in a sunny tone. "The first time it was deliberate – my sister and I found a Jedi Temple on Kashyyyk and messed around with holocrons and went back to the Clone Wars, to the Jedi Temple. But then the Force decided, apparently, that it would be fun to throw us into various timelines and alternate realities."

"Your sister," Obi-Wan repeated in a hollow tone. Was it possible that Anakin had, would, might have not one progeny, but two?

"Yes, she isn't here this time. For some reason, my lovely wife joined me on this little adventure, which is more or less awesome."

He leaned over and kissed Mara, who returned his embrace passionately.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and the Skywalkers reluctantly separated.

"Jedi do not marry nor have children," Kenobi stated sternly. "It is forbidden."

"Yes, yes, we know," Mara said irritably. "The 'no attachment' absurdity. And it was stupid and extremely unwise. It is normal for people to love, to want to have children. When you deny those natural feelings, people get weird and sometimes go off the monorail."

"You are saying," Kenobi said with a surreptitious look at Satine, "that in your day, Jedi are permitted to marry and have children?"

"In my day, Obi-Wan," Luke said firmly, walking towards his former mentor, "there are very few Jedi. I don't know how far you are into the Clone Wars ..."

"About three years," Kenobi replied, forcing himself to answer this young man's questions. It seemed impossible, but the youth fought like a master, and was clearly a Light Sider, and Kenobi had never seen him before. And he looked, and felt in the Force, so much like Anakin.

"Ok, so it's all going to fall apart soon," Mara Jade Skywalker stated gravely. "See, the clone troopers have a control chip in their heads, and when the Chancellor orders them to follow Order 66, they will turn on the Jedi and slaughter them by the thousands. The Order will fall, and Palpatine will ascend the throne as Emperor of the galaxy."

Obi-Wan Kenobi was so shocked that he merely stood with his mouth yawning open, but Satine rose to her feet and took a few faltering steps forward.

"Palpatine?" she demanded incredulously. "You are saying ...?"

"He's the master Sith Lord," Luke explained patiently. "I'm sure that's a shock. Every time we meet someone from roughly this time period, people are incredulous. Sheev Palpatine? Really? Kind, noble old Sheev? Yep, Sith Lord."

"Show him the scars, Luke," Mara demanded.

Her husband rolled his eyes, "I hardly think that's necessary ..."

"No, really," Mara urged, her mouth quirking slightly. "I think a little evidence is in order."

Luke stared at her, then laughed and quickly pulled off his shirt, "So see all these scars, Obi-Wan? I thoroughly pissed off Palpatine a couple of years ago and he bombarded me with Force Lightning. Pretty horrible experience and I still have the occasional nightmare. Mara, on the other hand, likes to ..."

"You have an eight pack," Mara breathed dramatically. "You're so shredded."

Luke chuckled as he pulled his shirt back on and looked at Obi-Wan, "So yes, Palpatine is the Sith Lord you've been looking for. He's evil, mean, incredibly powerful and insanely manipulative. Sad but true."

Kenobi lifted one shaky hand to press against his eyes. Could it be? Palpatine had indeed garnered more and more emergency powers, and many Senators were loyal to him.

"I assume," he continued cautiously, "that since you know me, I survive ..."

"The Jedi Purges?" Luke asked, his eyes now sad. "Yes, you do, as does Master Yoda."

"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan murmured in relief.

"He trained me," Luke explained, walking over to kneel by the headless corpse of Maul. A moment later, he rose to his feet with the Darksaber in his hand.

"So did you, Obi-Wan, though briefly. Darth Vader killed you before you were able to teach me much."

"Darth Vader?" Obi-Wan demanded, his brow furrowed. "Palpatine?"

"No," Luke replied with a shake of his head, "Palpatine is Darth Sidious. No ..."

"Luke, wait, do you think this is wise?" Mara demanded.

"Yes," her husband said firmly. "The manic secrecy of everyone involved is what led to this mess. I have found it best to just hurl all the truth against the wall and see what sticks."

"Well, you're the boss," Mara said with a shrug, even as she dug through a stray pocket and pulled out a protein bar.

"Darth Vader," Luke repeated, turning back towards Kenobi. Now his cerulean eyes were sad, "Darth Vader, who was once Anakin Skywalker."

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master, found himself suddenly short of breath, his heart pounding so loudly that he wondered if it would bounce right out of his chest.

"You can't mean," he began softly.

"Yes, my father turned to the Dark Side, in my timeline anyway," Skywalker said gravely.

"He lost his freaking mind," Mara continued helpfully. "He tore through the galaxy murdering Jedi and Rebels and civilians alike. He was incredibly powerful and horrifying and so incredibly evil. Not the sort of guy you want to meet in a dark alley, or even in the bright sunshine."

"Too true," Luke agreed mournfully.

Kenobi felt his legs quiver like jelly between him, and Satine shoved him onto her throne and took his right hand protectively in her own small left one.

"Anakin wouldn't," Obi-Wan murmured blankly.

Luke Skywalker walked closer and gazed directly into his Alter mentor's eyes, "He would, and he did. Again, in my timeline. Listen, my father's an emotional mess, don't you understand? He was raised a slave with an explosive in his body, left his mother in slavery, lost her to the Tuskens, and soon he'll start having nightmares of my mother, his wife, dying in childbirth."

"His wife?" Kenobi squawked.

"Yes," Luke replied with a brisk nod, "he secretly married Padme Amidala at the beginning of the Clone Wars. She may be pregnant with me and my twin sister by now."

"Senator Amidala!" Satine muttered, her eyes wide.

"So basically you need to expose Palpatine, or take him down in some other way, and support Anakin," Luke said briskly. "Really, the Jedi did a horrible job with my father. This whole 'no attachments' thing is just ridiculous, but since you and all the rest of your brethren were raised in the Temple, you think it is normal. He's in love with Padme, desperately so. We think Palpatine urged him to turn to the Dark Side to try and save her, which failed, by the way. She did die, and Darth Vader lost his mind and just became everything my wife described."

Kenobi took a few deep breaths, struggling to get his emotions under control. It had been a rough day already, and now ...

"I sense you are a Jedi," he stated. "How did that happen if your father turned?"

"I was hidden from Vader and grew up on Tatooine, with you watching over me, and my father only discovered my existence when I was 19. I joined the Rebellion against the Empire that year, and Vader tore the galaxy apart trying to find me once he learned of my existence. He chopped off my right hand in a duel when I was 23, then turned back to the Light a year later to save my life. That was when Palpatine decided to kill me off via Force Lightning, and Father intervened, killing the Emperor and dying of the resulting injuries. But as Mara said, he caused a galaxy of agony during his twenty plus years as a Sith Lord.

"No one can turn back from the Dark Side," Kenobi stated flatly.

"Where Skywalkers are concerned," Mara said determinedly, "you can just throw out the holobook on expectations. He did turn back. But if you can stop him from turning to the Dark Side in this timeline, that would obviously be better."

Kenobi leaned back against the throne, vaguely aware that he didn't belong there. This was Satine's place. His Satine's.

Anakin was married. And his son was married.

To women they loved ...

"Palpatine has been both mentor and friend to Anakin," he commented aloud.

"That makes sense," Satine replied, her eyes fixed on his own. "Jedi Skywalker is extremely powerful, and he trusts Palpatine to guide him well. If Palpatine is indeed a Sith Lord ..."

"And behind the whole war, don't forget that," Luke pointed out helpfully. "He's engineered the entire thing, running both sides, to dissolve the Republic and crown himself Emperor."

Kenobi found himself muttering imprecations in Huttese. A linguistic gift from Anakin, he realized.

"So what is this?" Luke asked suddenly, lighting up the Darksaber.

Kenobi jerked in alarm, then forced himself to calm down. Realistically, these two young people had saved him from a nasty death at Maul's hands, and they were Light through and through.

"It is an ancient weapon, a lightsaber built by a Mandalorian Jedi," Satine explained gravely.

"It's weird," Luke said with a frown, peering at the blade. "Odd shape, and black. What's with that?"

"I am not certain," Kenobi replied, pushing himself to his feet. "I admit I am not a mechanical genius like your father."

"Luke's brilliant in that arena as well," Mara said cheerfully.

Luke blushed a little and then looked down at his boots with a frown, "Um, Mara, are your toes tingling?"

"Yes?"

"Then we are leaving back to our timeline soon. Obi-Wan, great to see you again. Take this Darksaber and do what you want with it. Remember, Palpatine. Taking him down is the key to righting the galaxy."

The Darksaber flew through the air toward Kenobi just as Skywalker and his wife disappeared.

/

_Skywalker Residence_

_Coruscant_

"Well, that was totally awesome!" Mara commented enthusiastically, collapsing onto the sofa and putting her feet up.

"It was fantastic," Luke agreed, sitting down next to her. "I love having Leia along on these little trips, but you're even better. I have to say that I'm very impressed with your rapid response against that Dark Sider. You were abruptly dropped into a new environment and the first thing you did was stab a random bad guy in the thigh. You are amazing!"

"Oh, you know, that assassin training comes in handy sometimes," Mara replied with a chuckle.

Both Skywalkers looked abruptly toward the door and Luke rose to his feet, "Leia and Han."

"Kind of late for them to stop by," Mara murmured, glancing at the chrono.

The door slid open and Leia walked in, her face alight with joy, her eyes welling with tears. Solo, at her heels, looked equally pleased about life.

"Mara, Luke," Leia cried out. "I'm pregnant!"

/

_Author Note: I'll do another chapter for this timeline..._


	12. Chapter 12

_Chancellor Sheev Palpatine's Office_

_Imperial Executive Building_

_Four days later_

"Thank you for making time in your schedule, Chancellor," Mace Windu said with a courteous bow towards Sheev Palpatine. "The situation on Mandalore is most complex, and we hope that something can be done to alleviate the distress of the Mandalorians, especially those formerly led by Duchess Satine Kryze."

Darth Sidious smiled in a kind, fatherly, noble way, "Of course, it is my pleasure to assist the Jedi and the Senate in this matter."

He wasn't exactly lying, either. Nor, of course, was he telling anything close to the complete truth. A few days before, he had sensed a great disturbance in the Force. He had quickly and surreptitiously traveled to Mandalore and discovered, to his annoyance and surprise, the dead bodies of his former apprentice Darth Maul and Maul's brother Savage Opress. The Zabraks had both died by lightsaber which meant, presumably, that Kenobi had killed them both.

That was surprising. Kenobi was a powerful Jedi, but it seemed unlikely that he could take down both Dark Siders. On the other hand, Maul had been bisected by Kenobi on Naboo many years earlier, and while the Dark Side Nightsister Mother Talzin had healed him significantly, the man hadn't been entirely right in the head. Perhaps he had been too confident, as he had been on Naboo as well?

The fool.

Sidious shot a careful look at Kenobi. The Jedi Master was clearly exhausted, and he had several bruises on his face. He had clearly been battered in his battle against the brothers.

"Chancellor, Senators, Master Yoda, Master Windu," Kenobi said, drawing himself erect, "Duchess Satine of Mandalore has sent this message to the Senate and the Jedi Council. The time has come for Mandalore to side with the Republic against the Separatists."

All those in the room turned their attention to a holo cube. A moment later, the shimmering holograph of Duchess Satine appeared at full size, and the woman spoke, her voice urgent, "Senators, Jedi, and anyone else watching this. Mandalore has fallen to the power of the Death Watch, a group opposed to the pacifist ideals of the New Mandalorians. The Zabrak known as Darth Maul was the leader of Death Watch until his defeat at the hands of the Jedi. While Maul is dead, the Death Watch continues to wreak havoc on my people. I beg you to come to our aid, and in turn, Mandalore will side with the Republic against the Separatists. Help us, Leaders of the Republic, you're my only hope!"

The holograph flickered out amid gasps and murmurs from those in attendance.

"Darth Maul?" Senator Bail Organa demanded in surprise. "I understood that he died at your hands on Naboo more than a decade ago, General Kenobi."

"Indeed," Kenobi agreed with a weary nod. "Regrettably, he survived my attack and appeared on the galactic scene a few months ago. He was obsessed with vengeance against me, and he enticed me to Mandalore by threatening my old friend, Duchess Satine."

"Ordered you were to stay away, Master Kenobi," Yoda stated in a crabby tone.

"My apologies, Master Yoda. I found that I could not, in good conscience, follow your dictates. I was successful in saving the Duchess, and now she is willing to bring her faction of Mandalorians into the Republic fold. Mandalore needs our help."

"Are you absolutely sure that it was Darth Maul?" Jedi Master Fisto demanded, his dark Nautolan eyes concerned.

"Absolutely certain," Kenobi replied firmly.

"It would appear," Fisto murmured thoughtfully, "that the Sith are focusing on independent systems, then."

"For what purpose, Master Jedi?" Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila inquired courteously.

"Perhaps a distraction it is?" Master Yoda murmured, his small green head shaking in concern.

Darth Sidious took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. First of all, Darth Maul was not a Sith. There were only two Sith – the master and the apprentice. He was, of course, the master. At the moment, Dooku was the apprentice though the former Jedi would soon be discarded in favor of Anakin Skywalker, who was well on his way to turning to the Dark Side.

"With all due respect," Kenobi stated in a weary voice, "the underlying issues, while important, are not as vital as the anguish of the Mandalorians. I took the Darksaber off of Darth Maul myself; it is an ancient weapon which is wielded by the leader of Mandalore, and thus it is clear that Death Watch has overtaken the Duchess's planet. We must act."

"The Darksaber?" Yoda demanded in a startled tone.

"Yes," Kenobi replied, reaching a hand under his robe and withdrawing the oddly hilted saber. "Observe."

The laser sword flared into being, and in spite of himself Darth Sidious shuffled close to the Jedi Master. The Darksaber. He _wanted_ it.

"A most interesting blade, Master Jedi," Bail Organa murmured, craning his head in an effort to see the weapon. "The laser is black? Is that common?"

"Not at all, Senator," Kenobi replied courteously, turning rapidly toward Organa and casually lopping off Palpatine's head. The Chancellor's head, eyes narrow with covetousness, bounced onto the floor, rolled a few meters, and came to rest next to a potted millaflower plant.

"Not at all," Kenobi repeated with a slightly manic grin, even as he turned off the saber, dropped the hilt, and raised his hands above his head in surrender.

/

_Padme Amidala's Senatorial apartment_

_1 day later_

"Padme, I rushed back to Coruscant as soon as I could. Is it true!?" Anakin Skywalker cried out, striding through the door and pulling his wife into his arms.

"It is true, Ani," Padme murmured, clutching her husband against her only slightly rotund belly. "Obi-Wan Kenobi assassinated Chancellor Palpatine."

"It can't be, it can't," Anakin began, his eyes horrified, even as he trailed off at the sight of the blonde woman standing in the living room, her eyes red with weeping.

"Duchess Satine?" he demanded in shock, shooting a stunned look at his wife.

"The Duchess knows about us, Ani," Padme said wearily. "She knows we are married and have been since the beginning of the Clone Wars."

"What?!" Anakin demanded in disbelief. "How?"

"I was about to explain, but Senator Amidala said you would arrive soon and so it seemed wise to wait until you arrived, Jedi Skywalker," the woman replied. In spite of her exhaustion and sorrow, she maintained the regal demeanor of Mandalorian royalty.

The woman lifted a thin hand and brushed away tears, "He told me he would deal with Palpatine but I truly did not dream that he would take this route. Why would he do such a thing? He'll be executed!"

Anakin opened his mouth to say something, though he didn't know what, only to have Padme shake her head at him.

"You said you had some holo to show us, Duchess?" she asked politely.

"Yes," Satine replied, rising to her feet and pulling a data rod out of an inside pocket. "This is from the throne room in the Sundari Royal Palace on Mandalore."

She strode over to a nearby projector and inserted the rod; a moment later, it began running an image of two Zabraks, two guards, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Satine herself.

"Wait," Anakin demanded, pausing the holo with a twitch of the Force, "is that Darth Maul?"

"Yes, Master Skywalker," the Duchess replied wearily, "and I assure you the situation only grew more bizarre. Please, watch the entirety of the holo and then we can discuss the situation."

Anakin nodded with a frown and switched the feed back on. He and Padme watched with growing incredulity, and grunts of astonishment, as an individual identifying himself as their_ son_ appeared out of nothingness, along with his son's _wife_, and proceeded to defeat two skilled Dark Siders and then outline the fall of the Jedi Order, the fall of Anakin Skywalker, and the rise of Darth Sidious, also known as Sheev Palpatine.

When the holo ended, Anakin and Padme stood in bewildered shock, their hands clutching one another tightly.

"This, this is ridiculous," Skywalker finally stammered out. "Absurd. It has to be some kind of trick."

"Were you indeed married to the Senator at the beginning of the Clone Wars?" the Duchess demanded.

"Yes," Padme admitted softly.

"Are you pregnant, Senator?"

"No," Anakin stated firmly.

"Yes," Padme stated, just as firmly.

Anakin gasped in shock even as he turned to this adored wife, "What?!"

"Yes, Ani," she murmured, her face concerned. "I'm pregnant."

He reached out a hand to touch her belly and was shocked to feel the slight swell of the child within.

Or was it children?

"That's ... that's wonderful!"

"Ani, what are we going to do?"

Anakin Skywalker was wobbling slightly from shock, but he found his voice enough to say, "We're not going to worry. This is a happy moment, the happiest moment of my life."

"I think your problems are far less serious than Obi-Wan's, and you are the reason he is sitting in a cell facing a death sentence," Satine interrupted, her tone icy. "Don't you see? Kenobi killed Palpatine because he knew that Palpatine was a Sith Lord. He knew that in your son's timeline, you turned to the Dark Side, Jedi Skywalker."

The besotted couple turned and paled simultaneously as her words shattered their joy.

"Why didn't Obi-Wan bring this holo to the Council?" Anakin asked. "The Council could have dealt with Palpatine."

"Because he would have betrayed you and me if he had," Padme exclaimed in response. "Don't you see, Ani? Our son spoke of our marriage, of our children, of your fall. Obi-Wan cares for you deeply. He obviously decided that it was too risky to tell the Council about Palpatine because then he would have had to tell about you!"

Satine was nodding vigorously, "He's right. Obi-Wan told me on our way back to Coruscant that he feels guilty about the loss of your mother. Apparently you were having dreams of her death and he told you to ignore them? I believe he feared that if the Council turned against you, it would precipitate your fall."

The memories, shoved into the back of his mind, surged forward. Of his dreams of Shmi Skywalker suffering. Those dreams had come true.

"Our son spoke of your death, Padme!" he cried out in horror.

"Stop, Ani, stop," Padme responded in a soothing tone. "Everything has changed. Palpatine is dead."

"But if your son is correct, the clones still have chips in their heads which can be used to turn against the Jedi," Satine warned. "They are walking thermal detonators."

Anakin's mind was racing and he bit his lip hard enough to bleed, "Fives."

"What?" Padme inquired worriedly.

"Fives. He was a clone trooper who tried to assassinate Palpatine. He ... he tried to warn me and Rex about something involving another clone named Tup, who assassinated the Jedi General Tiplar. Palpatine's troopers killed him before he could say much."

Padme placed a comforting hand on her husband's rigid arm, "So it might be true, then."

"It is true," Skywalker replied, his eyes dark with grief, "Palpatine was manipulating us, and me most of all."

"What are we going to do, Ani?"

The Jedi Knight stared out into the darkening sky toward the setting sun. He was a husband, and now a father, but he was also a warrior and a general. He was the Chosen One.

"I have a plan."

/

_Author Note: Ok, I'm going to write ANOTHER chapter for this timeline! Many thanks to those of you reviewing, and thanks to THE MAN, my wonderful husband and editor!_


	13. Chapter 13

_Republic Judiciary Central Detention Center_

_Coruscant_

_4 days later_

"Admiral Tarkin," Padme said with a courteous nod.

"Senator Amidala," Wilhuff Tarkin returned politely.

"This is absurd," Anakin Skywalker huffed. "It's obvious that Kenobi is guilty."

"Jedi Skywalker," Padme replied with a bite in her tone, "in the Republic, an accused party is innocent until proven guilty. You may remember that the Admiral and I previously played prosecutor and defense for Ahsoka Tano, who proved to be innocent of murder in spite of much evidence to the contrary."

Tarkin smiled unpleasantly and shook his head, "You are, of course, correct, Senator, but Jedi Skywalker has a legitimate point. Kenobi murdered the Chancellor in front of eight reliable individuals, some Jedi, some Senators. There is no question that he is the assassin."

Padme sighed and gestured toward a nearby seat, "Please, Admiral, shall we sit?"

She took a seat across from Tarkin and grabbed her holopad, opening a file and glancing over her notes. Anakin took a position at the head of the table, but remained standing in a vigilant position.

"I believe I may have an insanity defense here, Admiral Tarkin," Padme commented.

"Pah!" Tarkin sneered. "Kenobi is only pretending to be insane."

Padme frowned slightly, "He claims that a being from the future visited him and told him that Palpatine was evil and had to be destroyed."

She glanced up at Tarkin and shrugged, "That sounds like a valid insanity defense to me."

"He murdered the Chancellor in cold blood, Senator Amidala," Anakin stated indignantly. "How can you possibly suggest that he should go free? You politicians are ridiculous at times!"

"General Skywalker," Padme replied patiently, looking directly into the face of her beloved husband, "certainly I would not suggest that Kenobi be set free. If he is insane, he will be confined to a facility for treatment. He will not be allowed to harm anyone else, I assure you."

"Absurd," Tarkin snapped. "He is no more insane than I am."

"I want to talk to Kenobi," Padme said firmly.

Tarkin sighed and rolled his eyes, "Very well. It is your right to speak with the accused, but I would not get your hopes up. A legitimate psychologist, appointed by the Senate, will interview the man to determine his sanity."

"It is not safe for you to speak to Kenobi alone, Senator," Anakin said firmly. "He is clearly dangerous. I should come with you to guard you."

"I expect that the Admiral doesn't want you to visit the prisoner, Jedi Skywalker," she retorted. "After all, Kenobi was once your master."

"He murdered one of my closest friends," Anakin snarled angrily, making the table shake slightly with the Force. "Chancellor Palpatine was a beloved mentor. Kenobi is my enemy now, not my ally or colleague. He is a disgrace to the Jedi Order!"

"Nevertheless," Padme began, but was quickly interrupted by Tarkin.

"I believe Jedi Skywalker_ should_ accompany you, Senator," he said smoothly. "Kenobi is dangerous and if he is, as you say, insane, he might harm you."

Padme bit her lip and made a show of thinking about Tarkin's words before conceding.

"Very well. But Skywalker, I expect you to control yourself. "

Anakin glanced down and fingered his lightsaber hilt.

"I will control myself, Senator," Anakin replied coldly.

/

_High Security Cell AA23_

_30 minutes later_

The door to Obi-Wan's cell slid open, and a moment later, Senator Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker stepped into the room, escorted by four clone troopers in their distinctive armor.

"Oh no," Obi-Wan whispered in dismay. Why were they here? Padme and Anakin should be staying well out of this!

"Jedi Kenobi," Padme said with a regal nod, even as she lifted a hand and smoothly covered her face with a mask that had previously been concealed in her full sleeves. Kenobi frowned in bewilderment, even as he heard Anakin's voice in his head.

_ "Obi-Wan, hold your breath!"_

Kenobi, eyes widening slightly, did so, and thirty seconds later the four clone troopers collapsed on the floor, obviously the victim of some kind of knockout gas.

Anakin rushed forward and carefully cut Obi-Wan's chains free with his saber even as masks floated onto both men's faces to protect them from the gas.

"Are you crazy?" Kenobi demanded. "I wanted you and Padme out of this!"

"You don't really think I'd let you take the fall for preventing me from Falling, did you?" Anakin riposted.

Padme, meanwhile, had grabbed the code cylinder from the highest ranking clone and opened the door into the outer corridor.

"This way," Padme muttered through her filtration mask.

"We can't kill all the guards! They are innocent!" Kenobi hissed.

"We won't have to," Padme hissed back, turning right to penetrate deeper into the prison block. Thankfully, the corridor was clear of guards, at least for now. Only a few meters away was a grate, and Anakin rushed forward to carefully cut the grate open with his saber.

"Get in there, Kenobi," Anakin said with a grin.

"What is it?" his master demanded, looking down uneasily.

"Garbage chute!"

/

_The _Concordia

_Diplomatic Docking Bay #36_

_Coruscant_

_30 minutes later_

"Obi-Wan!" Satine cried out, throwing her arms around her love.

"I'll get us out of here," Anakin yelled, rushing into the cockpit. Within seconds, the yacht's engines were starting.

"Satine," Kenobi murmured into her blonde hair.

"Yes?"

"I stink horribly."

She laughed a little and moved back, "True. But seeing you safe is worth it. Obviously the garbage chute escape plan was successful."

"So far," Kenobi muttered with a glance toward the windows. "I'm assuming the planetary defense systems will lock down once they realize I have escaped."

"Padme told the security people that she intended to speak at length to you," Satine stated confidently. "Even if they do try to stop us, we have Anakin Skywalker at the helm. Do you want a sonic shower?"

Obi-Wan shook his head even as the ship lurched and he fell into a nearby seat, pulling Satine down next to him, "No. With Anakin at the helm, we need to be strapped in tightly, my love."

/

_Bail Organa's Senatorial offices_

_2 hours later_

A green light flashed on Senator Organa's priority com and Bail passed a weary hand across his face. Life had been crazy the last few days, ever since the formerly calm, collected, and righteous Jedi Kenobi had murdered Chancellor Palpatine in front of Bail's shocked eyes.

Now, incredibly enough, Kenobi had escaped from his maximum security cell, presumably with the assistance of Jedi Skywalker. His dear friend and senator, Padme Amidala, was either a willing participant in the escape or a hostage, neither of which was a cheerful thought.

What was the galaxy coming to?

The green light continued to flash insistently, and Bail reached over to accept the message. An image formed instantly on his com, and he choked back a cry of surprise.

Padme!

"Bail, I hope you are alone watching this. If not, please wait until your audience has departed to watch the rest of this recorded message."

Bail waited impatiently as Padme gazed into the holocam for another 10 seconds, then opened her mouth to continue, "By now, you have probably heard that Skywalker helped Kenobi to escape with me in tow. To be clear, I helped plan the escape. I am also Anakin Skywalker's lawfully wedded wife, Bail. We were married 3 years ago."

Bail felt his jaw gape open at this, but forced himself to focus on her continuing flow of words.

"At the end of this message, I will be showing you a recording from the Sundari Royal Palace in Mandalore, where Darth Maul and Savage Opress were killed in combat and Duchess Satine was rescued. You will find the recording astonishing, but Duchess Satine fervently assures me that there have been no alterations to the file. This really did happen. There are two primary points of note. The first is that Sheev Palpatine was actually the Sith Lord we have been searching for all these years. He is the true leader of the Separatists and has been waging war in an attempt to destroy the Republic and crown himself Emperor. Palpatine has, obviously, been dealt with now due to the noble efforts of Jedi Kenobi. The second issue is one that I am entrusting to you. The clone soldiers have a chip in their heads, every single one of them, which forces them to obey certain commands. One of those commands is to turn on the Jedi, to murder them in cold blood. This was how Palpatine intended to destroy the Jedi Order. Given that Kenobi killed Palpatine, and Anakin broke him out of prison, the Jedi will be a suspect group for some time. I am entrusting you with this knowledge, Bail. You need to work with Mon Mothma and other reliable senators to help the clones, who are a danger to themselves and others with the chips in their heads. I am not sure when or if I will ever return to Coruscant, my dear friend. May the Force be with you."

/

_The _Concordia

_In hyperspace_

_2 hours later_

"Where are we going?" Kenobi inquired.

He had cleaned himself and changed his clothes, as had Padme and Anakin, and now he and the others were nestled into comfortable couches in the main common areas. Padme and Anakin were curled up near each other, the man holding his wife's hand as if he never wanted to let go.

"Obana," Satine said gravely.

"Obana?"

"It's a system not far from Tatooine," Anakin explained, grimacing slightly as he said the name of that thoroughly hated planet. "It has a complicated asteroid belt nearby so it isn't commonly visited. There are a few small cities and towns, and sufficient medical care that Padme can safely deliver the babies, but we won't likely run into Jedi or Senators or bounty hunters there."

Kenobi frowned, "So we're just going to, what, hide for a while?"

"A long while," Satine said firmly. "Maybe for the rest of our lives."

Kenobi's eyes bugged out in shock and he looked around at the Skywalkers' faces. Surely ...

"You can't be serious!" he sputtered. "We can't just abandon the galaxy!"

"You killed Palpatine," Padme said flatly, leaning forward, "and thus you've saved Anakin from falling. We broke you out because ..."

"Because you are idiots," Kenobi huffed angrily. "I fully intended to accept my fate."

"We weren't willing to let you accept that particular fate," Anakin stated sternly. "You saved not just my life, but my soul. You saved my children from a horrible father and you almost certainly saved Padme from dying in childbirth. You also apparently saved billions of lives from being lost across the galaxy. Besides, I need you, Obi-Wan. I'm obviously not as stable as I would hope. I need you to help me stay on the right path."

"And I need you too, Obi," Satine murmured. "I'm giving up my position as a leader of Mandalore. It is time for others to rise in the galactic scene. I want to be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I want to marry you and to have your children."

He turned now to face her and a moment later she was in his arms and kissing him passionately.

He returned the kiss with fervor, even as he heard the Skywalkers giggling in the background.

_/_

_Jabba the Hutt's Palace_

_Tatooine_

_18 years later_

"In here, your Highness," sneered the Twi'lek guard, shoving a blaster in her back for good measure.

Princess Winter Organa swallowed hard and hesitated, only to be pushed through the door into the grimy room. She sucked in a hard breath. No, no ...

"Dress her," the male growled to a blue haired human woman of some 60 standard years. "His Excellency wants her in the Throne Room in less than an hour."

The door slid shut behind the princess and the other woman began rooting through the garish, immodest clothing hanging on various and sundry racks, "I have just the thing ..."

The door slid open again and Jabba's minion turned in shock. A moment later, the woman had her hand against her throat and was thrown against a wall, where she wobbled briefly and collapsed.

Winter Organa turned toward the door fearfully. She has been on a diplomatic mission to assist refugees on nearby Siskeen, where a meetle infestation was causing a famine. An interdictor had pulled her ship out of space near Tatooine and she had been captured, apparently by underlings of Jabba the Hutt. Winter knew she was a valuable hostage because of her relation to Chancellor Bail Organa, but apparently her youth and beauty had enflamed the lust of the blobby Hutt. It was so disgusting.

A blond male stepped through the door, his blue lightsaber humming. He glanced around the room, did a quick check of the fallen bluehead, and then straightened to gaze directly at Princess Winter Organa.

"I'm Luke Skywalker," he said with a gentle smile, "and I'm here to rescue you!"

/

_Author Note: I could do a lot more with this timeline but I'm not going to! Many thanks to my husband the editor, who is now working from home due to the coronavirus quarantine. These are desperate, strange times. Stay safe, everyone!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Executor_

_Anoat System_

"Lord Vader, I wish to take personal responsibility for the loss of the _Millennium Falcon_, and I assure you …"

Darth Vader, enraged Dark Lord of the Sith, watched with satisfaction as Captain Needa's hand went for his throat and he began gasping for air.

It was a very minor source of pleasure to strangle the life out of his inept captain, but he would take what he could get. It was incredible and insane and ridiculous that the entire Death Squadron could not find one battered freighter. One. It was absurd and somewhat embarrassing.

There was a sudden lurch in the Force and a moment later, Darth Vader's death grip on Captain Needa was broken and the man collapsed to the ground, drawing in long draughts of much needed oxygen.

"You are seriously such a jerk!" a voice proclaimed from Vader's right.

The Sith turned in anger, which morphed into incredulous astonishment, as a slim, black clad form took a bold step forward from an alcove, revealing the familiar face of …

"Skywalker!" Vader sputtered out.

The troopers and officers in earshot all jerked at his words, and a moment later, eleven blasters were pointing at the young Rebel.

"Hold your fire," Vader ordered urgently. It would be truly horrific if the boy was injured by his trigger happy troops.

Luke Skywalker lifted his hands in the universal expression of surrender even as he continued his rant, "I mean, really now! Solo has been slipping past pirates and Imperials alike since I was a child. Is it really so astonishing that your people are not able to capture the_ Falcon_? She made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs!"

Darth Vader gestured slightly to the nearest troopers even as he struggled to remember what to do next. In his former life as a Jedi, he had worked to take prisoners without excessive harm. As a Sith, he usually just chopped off a random limb or choked opponents to a place of submission, but he didn't want to do either to his precious son.

Keep the boy talking. That was the rule.

"I expect my troops to show more competence than pirates or bounty hunters, young Skywalker," he rumbled.

"The _Millennium Falcon_ blew you off my tail in the Death Star trench," Luke snapped back irascibly. "You don't exactly hold the high ground on competence where Solo is concerned."

The binders clicked home and Vader relaxed slightly as a trooper handed his son's lightsaber over to him. He spared a very quick glance at the hilt; it was unfamiliar, which meant that Luke had built it himself. That was extraordinary since the youth had not been trained well. But that was a question for a later time.

"How did you get on board this ship?" the Sith demanded, glancing around as if he expected a horde of random rebels to suddenly burst on the scene.

"Well," Luke replied, taking a bold step forward, "that's a simple question with a complex answer. See, I'm not really your son."

There was a collective intake of breath from the assembled audience, and Skywalker turned to glance at the officers and troopers, "Yes, officers, troopers, Darth Vader has a son! That's what this is really all about. It isn't that Luke Skywalker is that dangerous, though I am — it's that Darth Vader lost his kid 23 years ago and is hunting him down now with frenzied obsession."

Vader blinked stupidly at his young prisoner. How did Luke know? Why would he tell everyone? And what did he mean by …?

No matter. Further discussion should wait until a more private setting. The Sith snatched a blaster from a nearby trooper and set it for stun, then shot Skywalker, who collapsed to the floor with a vaguely exasperated expression on his face.

/

Darth Vader had waited for this moment for three years. His son's cell was extremely secure and while not exactly luxurious, at least reasonably pleasant. There was a comfortable bed in it covered in a black (of course) synthsilk coverlet. There was a refresher with a real water shower. (Luke, hailing from Tatooine, should appreciate such a gesture). There was a large transparisteel window through which the whorls of hyperspace danced their stately waltz.

Luke would probably wake up shortly, so Vader took this moment to gaze raptly at his young son. He was young though he looked older than expected. And what was that?!

Luke stirred awake and sat up with a startled yelp. Darth Vader stood all too close and the great cyborg hand was on his right wrist, which was manacled to his left flesh hand.

"What happened to your hand?" Vader boomed, his voice enraged.

Luke groaned aloud and pulled away from his father with a little help from the Force, "I forgot how much I hate being stunned."

"How did you lose your hand?" Vader demanded again.

Luke glanced around in surprise and his eyes widened, "Wow, this is nice! Um …"

He scooted over to the side of the bed and rolled to his feet, calling on the Force to rid himself of the vestiges of the stun shot.

"You cut it off," he explained matter of factly.

The cyborg Sith jerked in astonishment and outrage emanated from the dark form.

"I mean, not you," Luke continued hastily, lifting his bound hands in a placating manner. "Your alter, from my timeline. Like I said earlier, I am not really your son. I'm from the future and from an alternate future. The Force keeps sending me to different places to improve the situation, and today I guess it wants me here. So is this my room on the _Executor_? It is really nice!"

Darth Vader stared at the youth incredulously and shook his head, "Time travel is impossible."

Luke shrugged even as he looked at his manacles and concentrated. A moment later, they dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"I hope you don't mind that I took those off," Luke said sunnily. "They are rather uncomfortable. I've spent the last couple of years working with my wife and a friend to open locks with the Force."

Vader jerked again, "Wife?"

"Yeah, wife," Luke said agreeably. "Again, my counterpart isn't married in this timeline. But I'm almost 27 so yeah, I'm married. I even have a son! He turned one recently and is getting so mobile. We have to be so careful these days! Just yesterday he climbed on a box and reached for a knife, though of course my wife was right there …"

He gazed at the Sith, who was gazing back in disbelief, "Anyway, yes I know time travel seems impossible, but it isn't. I have made numerous trips into the past. I've helped kill Palpatine and rescued Grandma Shmi from the Tuskens. In one crazy alternate galaxy, my twin sister was a Sith Lady and ..."

"Twin sister?" Vader squawked.

Yes, that was definitely a squawk, but he was too stunned to feel embarrassed.

"Oh yes, I forgot, of course you don't know that yet. Yes, Padme bore you twins."

"Who is she?" Vader demanded when he was able to speak again.

Luke grimaced thoughtfully and shook his head, "I usually make a point of being very open about the complex family situation, but in this time I think not. The poor girl has no idea about you right now and it isn't fair to tell you and not her. I suggest you think about the fact that any time you attack any females, anywhere, you might be wiping out Padme's daughter. Is that helpful?"

/

_Millennium Falcon_

_En route to Bespin_

"Well, Chewie has the backup hyperdrive functioning now but it will still take several weeks to reach Bespin," Han said, exiting the cockpit and striding into the main crew area.

"Do we have enough supplies?" Leia asked worriedly.

"Sure, Leia, no problem. We may be eating three year old ration bars eventually, but we won't starve …"

He trailed off in shock even as his hand grabbed and drew his blaster without conscious thought.

"Who are you?" he snarled at the red headed woman who was calmly rooting through his cupboards in the small galley.

"Hi Han, Leia," the woman replied cheerfully, pulling out a packet of tea. "I guess we haven't met yet?"

"What?" Leia sputtered. "I ... how ... who …"

"I'm Mara Jade, er, Skywalker."

Han and Leia exchanged wide eyed glances, though Han kept the blaster trained directly on the woman.

"Skywalker?" Leia asked faintly.

"Luke's wife," Mara explained happily, pouring a cup of hot water and dropping the tea bag in, "but not yet, of course. We probably haven't met yet. I'm from the future and the Force periodically sends me and Luke into the past to fix things."

"That is completely ridiculous!" Han stuttered through shocked lips.

"Yes, but what other explanation is there?" Mara asked practically.

"You must have stowed away," Leia said coldly, "though I don't recognize you. Wait, you must be an Imperial spy who crept on board on Hoth!"

Mara sighed and slowly lifted her hands to her neck, where a data cylinder hung around her neck. She carefully removed it and floated it over to Leia, who accepted it with wide eyes.

"Look at that please."

Leia did, and a moment later, she and Han were watching a video in which an older Luke Skywalker and the intruder chortled happily at a little boy who was toddling back and forth between them.

"That's our son, Biggs," Mara explained in a besotted voice. "He's just learning to walk. He is so cute! Of course, he's also mobile which means we have to watch him like a hawk-bat …"

"Ok, fine," Leia interrupted firmly, "I admit this seems pretty compelling but if you are really from the future and you know Luke that well, you should be able to fill in our current situation. Where are we and what are we doing?"

Mara glanced around and sighed, "Do I get a hint? I mean, the inside of the _Falcon_ is the cozy, dilapidated place it is in my time but beyond that …"

"We just fled a planet on rather short order after the Empire came calling," Leia stated carefully.

Mara stared at the woman whose alter was her sister-in-law and her eyes widened, "You're wearing warm clothing. Oh no, is this post-Hoth? Are you on your way to Bespin?"

Leia gasped even as Han spoke up, "You might have been eavesdropping on us when we decided on our course."

Mara sighed and took a long sip of tea, "Ok, fine. Your main hyperdrive is broken. You are on your way to visit Lando Calrissian, the administrator of the Cloud City of Bespin. You hope he can repair your ship. You and Lando are old frenemies and you once won the _Falcon_ in a sabacc game from him. He's dark skinned and wears elaborate capes, and is remarkably handsome."

Han blinked and shot a look at Leia, "She's right on all counts. All right, I'm convinced, you are from the future."

"Yes I am," Mara said in relief. "Thank you! So about Bespin, it doesn't work out well at all. The Empire gets there ahead of you and Lando sells you out to Vader."

Another gasp, this one of horror, and Leia put a hand to her chest, "Do we ... we must survive, I guess, though that seems surprising."

"Vader puts Han into carbon freeze and hands him over to Boba Fett, whom we think is the one that tracked you to Bespin. Later on, you and Luke and Chewie and Lando rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt."

"Lando?" Han demanded, nearly foaming at the mouth, "why would that traitor help us?"

"Guilt, I think," Mara said gravely. "I mean, saying 'no' to Vader is pretty tough, especially if you like breathing, and Vader also initially lied to Lando about his intentions about you. Vader said that you all would not be harmed and then of course he did harm you. Of course. That's how Leia and Chewie escape; Lando breaks them out. R2D2 fixes the _Falcon'_s hyperdrive, which the Empire had deactivated, and you get away at the very last second."

"R2?" Leia demanded in bewilderment, "He's with Luke as far as we know."

"Yeah," Mara murmured, and gestured towards the chairs. "Look, I have some difficult information for you and probably it would be best to sit down."

Leia and Han exchanged worried glances and sat down just as Chewie came lumbering into the room.

"Hey, Chewie!" Mara cried out, stepping forward to hug the hairy behemoth, "I'm Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke's wife from a future timeline. I just borrowed some of your tea. I hope you don't mind."

Chewbacca rumbled in bewilderment even as Han waved him to a nearby seat.

"So," Mara said slowly, "Luke always says that it is best to honest and open during these jaunts back in time but I have to admit I wish I wasn't the one having to tell you all this."

"Tell us what?" Leia demanded.

"Well, first of all, Darth Vader is obsessed about capturing Luke. This whole huge effort to capture the _Falcon_ is about Luke, who is currently not with the Rebel Fleet but instead is being trained by a Jedi Master on an obscure swamp planet."

Leia's brows raised, "Really? I thought they were all dead?"

"No, Master Yoda is very much alive right now."

"Ok, so Luke is training and Vader wants to capture him. I guess that makes sense. Luke is strong with the Force so probably the Emperor and Vader are worried about that?"

"Palpatine almost certainly is," Mara agreed slowly, "but Vader's motivation is quite different. He's, uh …"

"Yeah?" Han demanded.

"I hate this. Ok, I'm just going to spit it out. Darth Vader was once Anakin Skywalker, and he is Luke's father."

Thirty seconds passed in total silence before the room erupted. Amid cries of "Impossible!" and "That's insane!" and lots of roaring from Chewbacca, Mara leaned back and drank her tea.

When the threesome had calmed, Mara leaned forward to fix Leia with her most determined stare, "So yes, that's the story. He's Luke's father. He was married to a woman you have heard of, anyway, a friend of Bail Organa's named Padme Naberrie Amidala."

Leia choked in disbelief, "Padme Amidala! Of course I know of her. She was a champion of freedom. No way would she marry …"

"She did," Mara interposed firmly. "She did. Luke and my Leia, I mean the Leia from my timeline, went back in time to unmask Palpatine at the time of the Clone Wars. In that timeline, Anakin killed Palpatine and Luke and Leia got to meet with Padme. She was a lovely person, apparently, both in her appearance and her character."

"Your Leia went back?" Leia demanded in confusion. "I was sort of assuming that this whole traveling through time ability was a Force Sensitive thing."

Mara let out a long, slow breath and nodded, "Yes, because you are a very strong Force Sensitive, Leia Organa. You are also Luke's twin sister and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker, now Darth Vader ... I'm sorry."


	15. Chapter 15

_Luke's Quarters_

_Executor_

Darth Vader strode into his son's prison and halted in awed surprise. Everything was floating. The bed, the dresser with the myriad of expensive, well made black clothing. The table.

The boy.

Luke, who was hovering in the air a meter, opened his eyes and put his feet down even as the contents of the room lowered delicately to the ground.

"The _Millennium Falcon_, with your friends aboard, is en route to Bespin," the Sith rumbled.

Luke winced slightly, "Did Boba Fett tell you that?"

"Yes."

"We thought he was probably the one that figured it out," Luke replied with a sigh. "You handed Solo over to him so we assumed Fett did something to earn your favor."

"May I assume that it was during an interaction at Bespin that I cut off your hand?"

"Yes," Luke agreed irritably. "It was a thoroughly rotten way to meet my father. You captured my friends, tortured them, which drew me to Bespin, then beat me up thoroughly, cut off my hand, and told me that I was your son. I know that interpersonal relationships are not really your strong point, but that was incompetent even for you."

Vader glared at the boy's insolence for a long minute, then shook his head, "Did we ever meet again?"

"We did, like a year from now, on Endor. You hauled me off to the second Death Star and the Emperor eventually encouraged me to kill you and take your place at my side. The man's just … impossible, really. Father, he is such an evil, conniving wretch. You should kill him."

Vader shook a finger at his alter son, "Do you think I do not wish to? It is impossible without my son's help!"

"I kind of doubt that," Luke replied, taking a step forward and glaring into his father's mask. "You are very smart. I think you're just not willing to do it because in some twisted, aberrant way, you are emotionally attached to Palpatine."

"I most certainly am not," Vader snarled angrily.

"Yes, you are. You loved your mother and lost her, which was tragic. I only met her briefly when we rescued her from the Tuskens, but she was a great lady. You lost my mother in ... I'm guessing childbirth?"

The furniture began shaking in Vader's distress and Luke lifted a hand to keep his bed from cracking in two, "Ok, I'm guessing that means yes. Also very, very sad. I think the whole no attachments stupidity of the Jedi Order was a real disaster but let's get real, you do attach to people and this time you're attached to a really disturbed individual. I know you are willing to get rid of Palpatine and keep Luke but you have to be willing to ditch your psycho Sith Master before you have a chance of forming a good relationship with either of your children. You can't have both, even for a small time. Palpatine isn't an idiot. He knows you aren't reliable so as soon as one of your kids turns, he'll trade you in on the new model."

"Your sister, is she strong with the Force?"

"Ye ... es, but that is all I'm telling you about her. Seriously, Father, I truly do love you but you need to shake off the Emperor or you'll never forge any kind of decent relationship with us."

"Turning back from the Dark Side is impossible, Luke."

"No, it isn't," his alter son replied, his eyes suddenly stormy with memories, "because I watched you do it. I refused to kill you and turn to the Dark and Palpatine began pummeling me with Force Lightning. You intervened and threw him into a pit, to his death, but were mortally injured in the process. I had twenty minutes with my true father, Anakin Skywalker, before he died of his injuries. Those were some of the best minutes of my life."

/

_The _Excelsior

_In Orbit Around Hoth_

"We have you on our screen now, please identify."

"Transmitting clearance code," a filtered voice responded.

The deck officer of the Excelsior stared in surprise as the code, then stood up urgently, "Captain Vuta!"

The captain strode over quickly and glanced down at the code, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Order them to dock on Landing Bay #2," Vuta ordered, sweeping briskly off the bridge. Five minutes later, he marched into the landing bay. In spite of himself, he was shocked. He was vaguely aware of the Emperor's Hand program and knew they operated outside the confines of the regular navy, but this ship was a total disaster! It was a miracle it could fly!

The ramp lowered and a red headed woman of truly startling beauty walked briskly down to meet him.

"Captain," the woman said with an indifferent nod.

"Hand," the Captain replied rather nervously. Any personal agent of the Emperor was bound to be a dangerous individual, no matter how lovely she was.

"The main hyperdrive on my ship is inoperable. I need a squad of your best men to repair her as quickly as possible."

"As you wish," Vuta replied with a thankful nod. This was, at least a simple enough request to fulfill.

/

_Millennium Falcon_

_In hyperspace_

_5 hours later_

The panel in the walkway was lifted away and Han and Leia and Chewbacca looked up to see Mara looking down at them.

"You can come up now," the woman said cheerfully, reaching down to give Leia a hand. The princess thankfully grasped the offered appendage and hauled herself out of the smuggling compartment of the Millennium Falcon.

Han and Chewie climbed out without assistance and followed the two women into the cockpit, where the view of hyperspace brought a deep sense of relief into the hearts of the Rebels.

"I honestly cannot believe that worked," Leia muttered, slumping into a nearby seat.

"Of course it worked," Mara replied confidently. "The Empire is predicated on authority, authority, authority. For all that the Emperor's Hands were de facto slaves to his Royal Evilness, we did have authority over most of the random military structure since we were brainwashed to do Palpatine's will. There was no way that the captain of a mid level capital ship would deny the orders of an Emperor's Hand, especially a captain who is so mediocre as to be stuck in a mopping up action on Hoth."

"Even though they fixed the hyperdrive of the _Millennium Falcon_," Solo pointed out. "I mean, you'd think that would make the Imps think a little bit."

_"_He didn't recognize her, Han," Mara said with a brisk shake of the head. "The_ Falcon_ is an amazing ship, but her outward appearance is like so many other YT-1300f freighters. He didn't have any idea that he was fixing the hyperdrive of the freighter that most of Death Squadron has been tracking for some time. Even in my time, Han Solo always has plenty of fake IDs for his ship so of course we had plenty to choose from this time."

"So what now?" Leia asked, gazing out at the front window into hyperspace. "Where did you set our course?"

"Well, no where in particular," Mara replied even as she massaged an ache out of her neck. "We'll want to drop out of hyperspace and make a couple of course corrections, just in case Captain Vuta puts things together. You can head back to the Rebel Fleet, of course, but I would recommend going to Dagobah to find Luke."

"Dagobah?"

"Swamp planet. Not too far with a working hyperdrive. You should land, which actually might prove a little dicey — Luke says he settled his X-wing in a swamp the first time he landed — but anyway, land, tell Luke the truth about Vader and you and go from there. My Luke has said like 148 times that he so wishes he'd known the truth about Vader earlier."

The princess grimaced, "I truly wish I didn't know, Mara."

"Isn't it better to know the truth?"

"Yes," Leia said wearily. "I suppose it is. But it stinks to high heaven."

/

_Luke's cell/quarters_

_Executor_

_A few hours later_

"The thing is," Luke observed gravely, "Obi-Wan was such a moron in some ways."

The youth was lying flat on his back on his very comfortable bed, and was staring at the ceiling.

Darth Vader, who was seated on a gargantuan chair nearby, lifted his hidden, hairless brows in surprise, "I am not arguing with you about that, my son."

Luke chuckled and sat up, swinging his legs over the side, "Not for the reasons you probably have, though. No, the thing was that even after almost 20 years on Tatooine, he had no clue about the importance of family."

The Sith's slight amusement morphed into pain and anger, "The Jedi eschewed and despised all such relationships."

"I know, and they were idiots. I mean, I appreciate the Jedi in many ways, way way more than the Sith, but anyone who spent 19 years on Tatooine, even as a disheveled hermit in the desert, should have picked up on the fact that I would not take kindly to being trained and enticed into killing my own father."

Vader shook his head grimly, "The Jedi failed the galaxy in general, my son. The Light Side …"

"Is weak," his son interrupted firmly, leaping to his feet. "I know, I've heard it all before. Shaakwash, Father, utter shaakwash. Love and the Light saved me because my father chose to set aside his devotion to Palpatine and the Dark Side."

Vader rose to his feet, deliberately towering over his much slighter son, "You have told me that before …"

"Oh wait!" Luke said suddenly, "my toes are tingling!"

The cyborg Sith looked down at the boy's booted feet, "Is that a problem?"

"No, but it means I'm going back to the future. Here give me a hug."

Vader froze with a mixture of embarrassment and longing.

"Sith do not …"

A moment later, his son's arms were around him, the youth's face leaning up against his chest plate.

"I love you, Father."

Luke vanished.

/

_Millennium Falcon_

_In hyperspace en route to Dagobah_

"My toes are tingling, which means I'm going to vanish in just a bit," Mara told Leia. "You'll take care of that little job for me, right?"

"Absolutely, Mara," the other woman said with a determined nod. "It was great meeting you."

Leia glanced around quickly, making sure that neither of the males on board was in earshot, "Can you tell me, Mara, do Han and I …?"

"Get married? Yes. You're married and have a baby on the way."

Princess Leia Organa sucked in a surprised, delighted gasp even as Mara disappeared.

_Author Note: Thank you to my editor! That you to my reviewers! One more chapter in this timeline!_


	16. Chapter 16

_General Officers Quarters #135_

_Executor_

_In orbit around Zhanox_

Captain Lorth Needa shivered slightly as the door to his quarters chimed. It could not be Lord Vader, of course, as the Sith never bothered with announcing his presence before he strangled someone.

As Needa had nearly been strangled a few days previously. Even now, he could feel the ghostly talons around his neck which had almost taken his life. Only the incredible interference of the Rebel's Most Wanted, Luke Skywalker, had saved his life. Vader had been far too busy dealing with the Alliance intruder to finish off Needa, who had been hauled off to a med bay and competently treated by a comfortingly matter-of-fact droid.

Since then, he had been waiting in his quarters for something to happen, probably his execution for failing to capture the _Millennium Falcon_.

Gloomily, Needa activated the sensor and a moment later, Admiral Firmus Piett strode through the door.

Needa snapped to attention, "Admiral Piett."

"Captain Needa," the other man said, his gaze fixed over Needa's right shoulder. "Proceed to docking bay #67, where you will take Shuttle _Tyrannus_ to Kuat, where the_ Avenger_ is guarding the shipyards. You will take command of your vessel there and continue the fine work for which you are well known."

Needa blinked with a mixture of disbelief and hope. Back to the _Avenger_? Away from Vader? He opened his mouth to ask a question, then closed it. He did not know Admiral Piett well, but the rigid look on the man's face indicated questions would not be welcome. It seemed likely that Piett was operating outside Vader's direct orders, which was bold, brave, and loyal.

"Yes, sir."

/

_Crew quarters_

_Imperial Palace Casino Hotel_

_Ord Mantell_

Mara Jade trudged wearily into her tiny living quarters and kicked her shoes off. A moment later, she walked into the tiny refresher and carefully removed her bright purple wig. Her natural hair was bound up in an uncomfortable bun, and she swiftly removed the pins to let her hair cascade freely. That felt much better.

She quickly stripped off her odorous clothing and took a rapid sonic shower, after which she threw on a sleeping garment. She wandered over to the lone chair in her quarters and sank into it, closing her eyes as the headache lurking in the back of her skull shifted forward and intensified. She had spent too many hours serving drunken patrons amid the clamorous din of the gaming tables today, and was thoroughly sick of the smell of cigarra smoke.

This mission, she admitted to herself, was not one of her favorite. She had been here some weeks already, tediously collecting information about the organization running the casino. Her Master had not told her why he was interested and thus she had to collect financials, staffing records, visitor logs, and so on. It was taking a very long time.

Not, of course, that she would ever question her master's orders. She merely hoped that soon she would have a more challenging mission.

With a sigh, Mara collapsed onto her bed, which creaked angrily under her slim form. Given that some of her fellow wait staff were thrice her weight, she guessed that on occasion, the flimsy beds cracked and failed, dropping them ignominiously onto the floor.

This place really was a dump.

She felt a sudden buzz and sat up, reaching for the transmitter hanging around her neck. A message meant that the Emperor wanted her for something else, which pleased her immensely. It was unusual for him to not contact her first through their mind link, but perhaps he was busy.

She rose and made sure her door was locked, then sat back down and tapped in the code to access messages. A moment later, a small holograph formed and the woman took a convulsive breath. It was not her master, it was ... it was …

"Hey!" the figure said with a cheerful smile. "I'm sure this is a big surprise but I am you, or at least I will be you, maybe. I am Mara from a different timeline and from the future. I know where you are because I was you, and I remember that nasty casino like it was yesterday. I truly cannot understand why people like to eat fried Rishi eel, since it seriously smell like eopie vomit to me. And you and I both know we actually have smelled eopie vomit. Ick. So anyway, what else … hmm, remember when we uncovered the minor embezzlement of that planetary governor on Corellia? And you let him go because his daughter was sick and he was covering her expensive treatment? You know you never told anyone about that, and Palpatine would have murdered you if he knew, so I am you. Obviously."

Mara winced at these words. It was all true. She did hate fried Rishi eel with a deep and abiding disgust, but she had never admitted it to anyone else. And she had let off the governor, even lied to an Imperial captain though not to Palpatine himself …

"So, moving on because I don't have a ton of time. Palpatine is a horrible, evil person. He is, Mara. I know your mind will rebel against that concept because mine did when I first realized that he was a despot, that he was a manipulative murderous rancor, and he sent his troopers to snatch you as a child. He murdered your entire family. You aren't the only Hand. There are many, and all are just minor characters on his dejarik board. You owe him nothing. I sort of worry about telling you all this because I was obsessively devoted to the old vanx, but I want you to escape before I did in my timeline. At the end of this message, I will give you codes to access remotely some files about the Hands program. It is icky watching and you will probably be ill after you see it. I was.

I'm married to Luke Skywalker now. Yes, that Luke Skywalker. Who is Darth Vader's son. Seriously. But unlike Vader, Luke is a fabulous guy even if he is an Outer Rim farmboy. We have a baby boy now and I'll include a vid of that as well.

Well, that's enough of dismantling your worldview today. Oh, just in case you are inclined to waffle, I just helped the _Millennium Falcon_ escape from the Empire so Vader and/or Palpatine will be hunting you down to kill you. So get yourself to the Rebellion as soon as possible. Leia Organa is expecting you.

Live a good life, Mara. You deserve more than being a slave to Palpatine. Jade Skywalker out."

/

_Vader's private quarters_

Executor

_4 weeks later_

_In orbit around Hoth_

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, stared incredulously at the frozen image of the red headed woman. It was from the security recordings of the _Excelsior_, where the _Millennium Falcon_ had landed some weeks previously. Jade had used her Hand codes to order Captain Vuta's technicians to fix the _Falcon_'s hyperdrive and then the freighter had blasted into hyperspace, bypassing Bespin entirely.

There were so many levels of possible outrage but mostly he was flummoxed. Because as ridiculous and absurd and insane as it seemed, there was only one possible explanation to this.

Mara Jade was his daughter and Luke Skywalker's twin sister.

He took a step closer, cursing the red lenses of his mask, peering into the woman's face, struggling to find a similarity between the lovely face in the image and the painful but glorious memories of his lost love, Padme.

He didn't see it. Jade was beautiful, without question, but she looked nothing like Padme, nor did she look like Anakin. Genes were odd things, but the red hair? The green eyes? Where had those come from?

Nevertheless, Vader couldn't come up with any other theory. Future Luke had mentioned that his twin sister had accompanied him on some of his trips to the past. This Mara Jade was almost certainly not the Mara Jade of this timeline. That one was slavishly devoted to Palpatine. Indeed, Vader had managed to track down the woman's location – she had fled only days before from an undercover op on Ord Mantell and had definitely not simultaneously been helping the Rebels escape on Hoth. Therefore, Mara Jade, Luke's sister, had clearly come back in time and warned the current crew of the _Millennium Falcon_ to avoid Bespin.

Vader sighed deeply. Palpatine was not going to be happy about his failure to track down his son, whose power in the Force was growing by the week. At least the boy's power was eclipsing that of his twin – a twin who must remain hidden. Vader had considered the possibility that Darth Sidious knew that Mara Jade was Padme's child, but had discarded it. Jade had, he knew, been sent on multiple missions which could have easily ended in her death. Not, of course, that Sidious cared about her well being, but as Vader's daughter she had sufficient value that the Sith Master would have been less reckless with her life.

Regrettably, he himself had risked his own daughter's life at least once. Vader had interacted with individual Hands on a few occasions and more than one had died during his brutal training. Jade, regrettably, had suffered a few broken ribs during one of their meetings.

Still, it could be worse. At least his daughter was an Imperial of sorts, and he hadn't done anything really awful to her, like tortured her for hours on end. That was a blessing.

/

_The Death Star_

_Around Endor_

_About a year later_

The elevator rose swiftly and silently up, and Darth Vader sought to shield his mind from both his master and his son. His emotions struggled to break free but he would not allow them, even as his mask kept tilting toward the prisoner to his right. His son. He had never laid eyes on this version of his son before, since the boy had avoided Bespin. This Luke looked so much like Alter Luke, except Alter Luke had hugged him and this Luke was deeply disappointed in him. No hugs for now, anyway.

The discussion on the Endor moon had been a difficult one emotionally. Luke had surrendered to Imperial forces and been taken to his father; the youth, dressed in black, had pleaded with his father to turn away from the Dark Side, and Vader had been forced to tell him no, firmly.

"It is too late for me, Son," he had told his idealistic boy.

And Luke had looked back with sorrow in his eyes and replied, "Then my father is truly dead."

Now they were standing side by side, ready to face Palpatine together. Luke's mind was tightly shielded, but his father felt his grief.

The door slid open and Luke stepped forward obediently, with Vader walking to his side and slightly behind him. He didn't expect the boy to suddenly resist, but you never knew with Skywalkers. The manacles on the youth's hands were the best that credits could buy, but Luke's future alter had divested himself of similar bonds with startling ease.

Luke climbed the stairs and stopped as Palpatine's throne turned around slowly.

"Welcome, young Skywalker," the Decrepit One rasped, "I have been expecting you."

Luke glared at the dark figure for a moment, and Sidious spoke even as he twitched a pale, bony finger, "You no longer need those."

The boy's binders opened and fell to the ground. Well, that took care of that. Now Luke could go completely crazy if he wanted. Really, Palpatine loved to be dramatic. It was going to get him killed one of these days. Hopefully today.

"Guards, leave us," the Emperor ordered. The red robed guards turned and glided away on silent feet, leaving the threesome alone.

Well, that was convenient.

"I look forward to completely your training," Sidious continued in his annoying, oily voice. "In time you will call me, Master."

"You're gravely mistaken. You won't convert me as you did my father," Luke replied with remarkable calm.

"Oh no, my young Jedi," the Emperor replied, rising to his feet and hobbling forward. "You will find that it is you who are mistaken, about a great many things."

This was it. This was the moment …

No, shields, shields, Vader!

"His lightsaber," Vader said, reaching out his left hand with Luke's weapon. The Emperor smiled and reached for it, his gaze fixed on Luke.

Now.

Using the Force, Darth Vader depressed the hidden switch in his left hand. The green gas which spurted forth into the Emperor's face was noxious and potent. The Emperor's eyes widened in shock, his visage slackened in disbelief, and Vader spun Luke's saber around in his hand, depressed the activation switch, and proceeded to stab the green blade through the heart of his master. The look on Sidious's face was priceless. The aged mouth moved slightly, the yellow eyes were a mixture of fury and terror, and then Vader pulled the blade upwards to bisect the upper half of the old man's body.

"Step back," he ordered Luke, who obeyed with shocked eyes.

Using the Force, the younger Sith Lord lifted the now deceased body of his master and began chopping the form into columns and rows. You just never knew with Sidious. It would be so freaking annoying if the old man managed to survive being chopped in half even as Darth Maul had.

"Father," Luke said hesitantly. "I think he's dead."

The cyborg gazed down at the cauterized chunks lying on the floor like so much Axxilan Mincemeat, "I believe you are right, Son."

"So what was that?" Luke asked in wonder. "You were plotting to …"

"Kill him, yes," Vader stated, picking up one of Palpatine's feet and dicing it more thoroughly. It was fun. "I knew he would be distracted by your presence and thus believed this was my best chance to take him down. My limbs are prosthetics and I am mechanically inclined, so I was able to fashion a storage device for a potent sedative gas."

Luke stared at his father in awe, "Thank you. But why did you do it? If you think I'm going to turn to the Dark Side now ..."

Vader interrupted him with an irritable wave of one finger, even as he shut down Luke's saber with his other hand, "No, I realize you will not turn to the Dark Side, my son. To explain, I am aware that a year ago, the crew of the _Millennium Falcon_ had an unexpected visitor from a future, alternate timeline."

Luke's eyes widened and he took a nervous step back, "What!?"

"I saw the security logs from the _Excelsior_ in orbit around Hoth. Mara Jade ordered the captain of the ship to fix the hyperdrive of the _Millennium Falcon_. At the same time, Jade's present timeline counterpart was serving as wait staff on a mission to a casino on Ord Mantell."

Luke crossed his arms, "OK. I'm not admitting anything in particular, but what does this have to do with me not turning to the Dark Side?"

"At the same time, your future self visited me on board the _Executor_."

"Really?!"

"Really. He explained that he had refused to turn to the Dark Side, that Sidious almost killed him here on the Death Star, and I killed Sidious and died from the mortal wounds the Emperor inflicted on me. He also told me that if I was going to forge any relationship with you and your sister, that I had to dispose of Palpatine first. I concluded that he was right."

Luke's face was rigid with discomfort, his mind shields high, and Vader allowed his shoulders to slump slightly, "I am aware that Mara Jade is your sister, Luke."

Now the young face was rigid with shock, followed by a nervous chuckle, "Um, no, she's not."

"You cannot conceal it from me, Luke," Vader ordered sternly. "I mean her no harm."

Luke sighed, "She really isn't, Father. She's my, um, hypothetical future wife."

A full minute passed while Vader grew increasingly embarrassed.

"Oh," he finally muttered. "Your alter mentioned that his sister traveled back in time with him on more than one occasion, so I just assumed that Jade was your sister."

"We don't look anything alike," Luke pointed out. "Nor does she look like Padme."

Vader winced at the sound of his beloved wife's name, but forged on, "True. I was puzzled by that as well. So I hope and trust your sister is in a safe place right now?"

Luke narrowed his eyes and glanced toward Endor, "Is the sanctuary moon safe?"

The Sith jerked in horror and shook his great helmet, "Not at all! This entire operation is a trap for the Rebels. I am certain troops are waiting for the Rebel team down on Endor!"

His son looked alarmed even as he turned to face floating Endor, "Ok, thanks for letting me know. I need to talk to her!"

"Surely you cannot ..." Vader began, then trailed off. Of course they could. They were Skywalkers.

/

_Bunker_

_Endor_

"What?" Leia whispered aloud as she and the rest of the Rebel team walked softly toward the command center of the bunker.

"What what?" Han demanded quietly.

"Shhh," Mara muttered, "Luke is calling!"

The two women focused for a long minute as the commando team froze in place, waiting.

"The Emperor is dead!" Mara hissed sibilantly. "Vader killed him!"

"And this whole thing is a trap," Leia continued worriedly. "Vader says there are troops hiding here waiting for us."

"Good news about Palpatine," Han muttered, "weird news about Vader, bad news about trap."

Leia and Mara grinned at one another as each fingered her own lightsaber.

"We'll take care of it," Leia said confidently.

_Author Note: One more chapter on this timeline! I know, I said that before but I just keep writing. I hope and pray you all are healthy and maintaining your sanity. We are blessed with a big house and five acres of land so we are doing pretty well. I know this is a hard time for so many. Many thanks to my husband who is working from home and editing like a boss for me! _


	17. Chapter 17

_Command Center_

_Death Star_

"Lord Vader," Moff Jerjerrod stammered, falling back a yard and gazing wide eyed at the Sith. Wasn't Vader supposed to be safely tucked away in the Throne Room with the Emperor? Why was he here, looming menacingly in Jerjerrod's command center?

And who was the little blond twerp with the long hair? Just because Vader was above the law, so to speak, didn't mean that a random aide should be exempt from regulation haircuts.

"Jerjerrod," Vader replied coldly, appraising the room professionally. He had been in this room only twice before, since the superlaser of the Death Star was boring. The ability to destroy a planet was insignificant next to the power of the Force.

"Is this the primary ignition panel for the superlaser?" the blond twerp inquired.

Jerjerrod shot a puzzled glance at Vader, who merely stared at him ominously, and decided there was no harm in replying, "Yes."

The young man nodded, turned on a bright green laser sword, and proceeded to start destroying the panel in question.

The Moff squealed in horror and leaped forward towards his precious instruments, only to be stopped by invisible talons which wrapped themselves firmly around his neck.

The two officers and six troopers standing around had lurched toward the youth as well, but stopped at the sight of their asphyxiating commander.

"Father, please don't do that," Luke said calmly.

Vader sighed and released Jerjerrod, who collapsed with a mixture of relief and incredulity.

"I find Moff Jerjerrod annoying," he explained.

"You shouldn't just kill people because they are annoying," Luke scolded, proceeding to lovingly dismember a secondary panel which, he could tell, also helped control the superlaser. "It's rude. Ok, I think that's good for now."

"Father?" Jerjerrod repeated in a stupefied tone once he had recovered his breath.

"Yes, I am Lord Vader's son," Luke said simply, then turned to address his father, "Don't you think you should evacuate the Death Star? I think the shield will be down soon and you have so many people on board."

Jerjerrod was a relatively competent man, but he had a real weakness for faces. He stared at the young man, Darth Vader's son, without a glimmer of recognition. One of his lieutenants was better at facial identification and managed to croak out a stunned "Luke Skywalker!"

The Moff's eyes bugged out more and he looked from Luke, to Vader, then back to Luke, "Skywalker? You ... you're ... what …?

"He is indeed my son," Vader boomed. "He is also correct that we may lose the station to the Rebels within the hour. Begin the evacuation."

"The bunker on Endor is protected by an entire legion of the Emperor's best troops," Jerjerrod snarled, beginning to froth at the mouth in outrage at this ridiculous situation. "The Emperor will tell you himself that there is no chance that a ragtag group of Rebels will prevail."

"Well, the Emperor is dead," Luke Skywalker replied cheerfully, "and my twin sister is down there slicing your elite troops into pieces. So if I were you, I'd evacuate."

Moff Jerjerrod was not a warm hearted man, but if there was one thing that touched his soul, it was the Death Star. He loved it with a passion. It was big. It was beautiful. It was powerful. He would gladly sacrifice his nonexistent firstborn child to keep it safe. The horrifying news that a genuine Sithspawn was on the Endor moon menacing the shield generator crashed into Jerjerrod's horrified brain like a meteor. There was only one thing to do.

Tiaan Jerjerrod collapsed onto the floor and burst into noisy tears.

"Now may I kill him?" Vader inquired in a long suffering tone.

"No," Luke replied firmly. "Captain ..."

"Rion," the captain replied, looking terrified.

"Captain Rion, would you kindly begin the evacuation of the station?"

Rion glanced at Vader, who gave him a stern nod, and began the necessary orders.

Jerjerrod continued to blubber noisily on the floor.

/

_Bunker on Endor_

"What?" Solo snapped into his comlink. "Repeat yourself, Goldenrod! I can't hear you!"

"What's going on, Han?" Leia demanded, throwing a random stormtrooper into a wall even as Mara somersaulted from one alcove to another, slicing three hapless troopers in half as she did so.

"Threepio says the Ewoks are getting into the act," Solo yelled above the increasing din of lightsabers flashing and blasters going off. "He says they are doing pretty well with battling the Imps!"

"Good! We're just about done wiping out the troops here and then we'll set the charges!"

/

_In space outside Endor_

_10 minutes later_

"They are evacuating the station!" Wedge Antilles cried out in surprise.

"But the shield is still up," Lando Calrissian yelped in frustration. This whole situation totally stunk! After Darth Vader had taken over the Cloud City of Bespin while waiting for Lando's old buddy Han to show up, Lando had sensibly snuck off and joined the Rebellion. It was nice being a General, but not when he had an impenetrable shield in front of him and a phalanx of ominous Star Destroyers blocking his exit.

A moment later, an energy signature flashed on the_ Falcon's_ tertiary command board (Or was it the quaternary? Han had done crazy things to the _Falcon _control systems since stealing the ship from Lando.)

"The shield is down," Lando yelled into the com, his eyes wide with delight, "they did it!"

/

_The Bridge_

_Executor_

_5 minutes later_

"Lord Vader on coms, Admiral."

Piett pulled himself together with difficulty as his mind reeled in shock. Incredibly enough, the Rebels had succeeded in taking down the Death Star shield. Their army of misfits was either incredibly talented, incredibly lucky, or some unnatural combination thereof.

He turned to the holoscreen, automatically straightening his hat and adjusting his jacket.

"My lord."

"Admiral," Vader replied coldly.

"Sir, do you require assistance?" Piett asked feebly.

"No, Admiral. The Emperor is dead and the Death Star will fall to the Rebels within the hour. Order all Black Squadron ships to retreat from the Rebel Fleet and prepare to accept Death Star evacuees."

Piett suppressed a gasp and straightened further, "Yes, my Lord."

/

_The Bridge_

_Rebel Cruiser Liberty_

"Admiral Akbar!"

"Commander Skywalker!?"

"Yes. The Death Star is being evacuated and Imperial forces are prepared to withdraw from combat and receive the evacuees. The Emperor is dead and Lord Vader is offering a cease fire. Are you willing to settle for the destruction of the Death Star, Admiral?"

/

_Endor_

_10 minutes later_

"Don't let the Ewoks eat any of the prisoners," Leia ordered, striding into a clearing where a bevy of hapless Imps were seated on the ground with their hands on their heads.

"Oh, you're no fun," Mara quipped. "Look at this one — he looks like he has a nice haunch and he'd make good eating."

The Imperial officer in question paled noticeably and wobbled, causing Leia to elbow her hypothetical future sister-in-law in the side, "Be nice, Mara. We won't really let them eat you, Captain."

"Thank you, your Highness."

"Probably won't let them eat you," Mara added with a wink.

/

_Darth Vader's shuttle_

_En Route to _Executor

"So who is she, Luke?"

"My sister?"

"Yes. Whoever she is, I do not approve of your decision to recruit her to the Rebel cause. You should have kept her out of it, safe from the Emperor and, I suppose, me."

"She effectively recruited me, Father."

There was a horrified pause as Darth Vader rolled this statement around in his head.

"You don't mean that the princess ..."

"Yes, Leia Organa is your female progeny. She doesn't like 'daughter'".

Darth Vader mulled this over for three long minutes.

"This is absolutely catastrophic," he announced. "In the entire galaxy, there is no one whom I have harmed more than your sister. The Force is obviously punishing me for my multitude of crimes."

"Father, you are a very dramatic person, aren't you?"

/

_Endor_

_15 minutes later_

"They did it!" C-3PO cried out in delight, pointing at the spreading debris in the sky from the destruction of the Death Star.

R2D2 beeped at some length, causing the gold plated droid to pat him gently on the head, "I agree, R2. They are, for all their lack of protocol, quite a competent group of sentients."

/

_The Bridge_

_Executor_

"Lord Vader!" Admiral Piett said nervously.

"Admiral, this is my son, Luke Skywalker. He is currently negotiating a peace treaty with the Rebellion. You will assist him in any way necessary."

Piett cast a long suffering look at the young Rebel, who was looking around the bridge with entirely too much enthusiasm, "Yes, my Lord."

"I think Leia should come up here as soon as possible," Skywalker announced. "She's the negotiator in the family."

Piett felt light headed.

"Family?" he quavered.

"Yes, Leia Organa of Alderaan is my twin sister and Lord Vader's daughter," the youth explained entirely too cheerfully.

Rancor droppings.

/

_Landing Bay #26_

Executor

_4 hours later_

"He's a little upset," Luke explained softly to Leia, Han, and Mara as they convened at the base of the Falcon's ramp.

"About?"

"About you, Leia. He had convinced himself that Mara was his daughter and he's more than a little freaked out about your mutual past."

"Me?!" Mara demanded incredulously. "Why would he think I was his daughter?"

"Um, my future self visited him at the same time as your future self visited Leia. Future Luke said that his sister came back in time with him sometimes so when he figured out that Future 'you' had fixed the _Falcon _on the_ Excelsior_, he leaped to the conclusion that you were his daughter, Mara."

"Erghh," Mara muttered, then glanced at Leia apologetically, "Sorry, Leia, but that's an intense thought."

"You're going to marry my brother, Mara," Leia said flatly, "so it's just as well that he is clear on who exactly are his offspring."

"So how did the old lothbat die, Kid?" Han asked curiously as they turned and walked briskly towards Darth Vader, who was standing near the exit to the landing bay.

"Palpatine? Father neutralized him with some knockout gas and then sliced him into a million pieces with his lightsaber."

"Well, that's cool anyway."

"Lord Vader," Leia said, striding boldly up to her cyborg progenitor and lifting her chin.

"Princess Leia," the cyborg replied, his great shoulders slumped in dejection, "Welcome to the _Executor_. I wish to take this opportunity to state that I deeply regret my actions against you and yours, my daughter."

Leia's eyes flashed, "Look, I don't like you. I hate you, indeed. But I'm willing to work with you on fixing the galaxy so let's just focus on that, shall we?"

"As you wish."

/

_Rebel Ship Liberty_

_1 day later_

"Are you willing to reconvene the Senate, Lord Vader?" Mon Mothma demanded suspiciously.

Vader waved a weary hand, "Certainly. I am willing to do anything my children want me to do."

"Anything?"

"Yes," Vader stated baldly.

Rebel High Command exchanged uneasy glances even as the high ranking Imperials in attendance shivered subtly in their boots.

Leia looked in exasperation at her brother.

_"What is this? He's so ... passive!"_ she complained telepathically.

"_I think he is depressed,"_ Luke replied doubtfully.

"_A depressed Darth Vader is a _bad_ thing,"_ Mara chimed in.

"_I can hear you, you know,_" Vader interpolated truculently.

Leia sighed and looked around at the assembled Rebels and Imperials, all of whom wore expressions of concern.

"Very well, Lord Vader" Leia said patiently. "If you insist on supporting Luke and me in everything, we will need more oversight to make sure we don't run amok like you have for the last 24 years. Admiral Piett, you seem like a sensible man. Perhaps you could assist our leadership in convening a group of negotiators from both the Empire and the Alliance? My brother and I place ourselves under the authority of Alliance High Command and welcome input from Imperial negotiators. Luke!"

"Yes, ma'am," Luke replied smartly.

"Your job is to keep our father from going crazy."

"Job accepted."

"Mara!"

"Yes, Leia," Mara said with a smile.

"Your job is to support my brother in keeping him sane while he keeps our father from going insane."

"I accept the challenge," Mara replied with an affectionate smile at Skywalker.

Leia stood up now and raked the assembled sentients with her steely gaze, "We have an opportunity here for lasting peace in the galaxy. We will make mistakes, no doubt, but let us do our very best to make them small mistakes. May the Force be with us all."

/

_ Dagobah_

_5 years later_

Anakin floated between wakefulness and slumber. His hearing (much improved after medical intervention and Force assisted healing) absently noted the sounds of frogs burping and Dagoban crickets chirping. His mind wandered the ancient halls of the destroyed Jedi Temple on Coruscant until it found the small room where the young Anakin Skywalker had slept in safety.

"Day of first school, it is," a voice croaked. "Day of school first!"

"I don't want to go to school! Five more minutes," Anakin grumbled.

"Not school for you, Anakin Skywalker! For padawans!"

Anakin sat up abruptly and fell out of his hammock. He reached out through the Force and landed on the plastic floor gently, then rolled with a groan to a seated position, glaring out the mesh side of the tent towards the small elf who had woken him up.

"I wish you wouldn't sneak up on me like that, Master Yoda."

"Sneak?" the very aged gnome demanded, his ears unfurling indignantly. "Like rampaging rancor I was. Sleeping you were most soundly. Good it is that no predators willing to attack you there are."

Anakin yawned and rose to his feet. He used the Force to open the tent door and stepped out into the open air of Dagobah.

"Another lovely morning," he pronounced cheerfully even as he reached out through the Force towards the glittering ship that was descending through the cloud cover of Dagobah. Not that he could see said ship, but he sensed the presence of his son, and daughter, their respective spouses, plus their miscellany of small children, along with a host of other individuals both Force Sensitive and not.

"Old I am, and weak," Yoda said in a rather self-pitying way. "A rest I need, a rest. Not a horde of padawans."

Anakin sighed and held out a hand, using the Force to lift the old Jedi Master onto his shoulder.

"You just have to make a few opening remark at the final dinner, Yoda," he said in a soothing tone as he strode toward the landing area. "Luke and Leia and I will handle most of the work."

"Ahsoka coming tomorrow she is," Yoda croaked happily. "Helpful she will be."

"Yes, she will," Anakin agreed, stopping at the edge of the landing area. The boggy ground had been filled with countless metric tons of solid dirt and then covered with concrete, allowing the large ship to land without any fear that it would sink firmly into the swamp. Twenty meters to the north, a three story prefabricated building reared out of the jungle, lights twinkling invitingly.

/

_Luke and Mara's living quarters_

_Training facility_

_Dagobah_

_4 hours later_

"You look good, Father," Luke said gravely, staring up into the exposed face of Anakin Skywalker.

"Well, good is probably pushing it," Anakin said rather self consciously, his cyborg hand touching his still heavily scarred face.

"Good," Luke repeated. "Dagobah clearly agrees with you which truly amazes me."

"Dagobah is fantastic," Anakin replied indignantly. "It rains all the time and there is water everywhere! In fact, I've taken to sleeping in a tent outside most nights because the moisture is so good for my remaining organic body parts."

Luke grimaced, "It's certainly very wet, which is awesome, but don't you think rain every day is a little much?"

"I cannot believe," Anakin stated dramatically, "that my own son would say such an outlandish, ridiculous thing. There can never be too much rain!"

Luke laughed and stepped forward to embrace his father. Anakin had endured many surgeries and alterations and while still taller than his son, he was not as ridiculously tall as he had been as Darth Vader.

"I'm glad you are doing well," the younger Skywalker murmured as he stepped back. "I was afraid that you'd go crazy when you were banished to Dagobah, not to mention I thought Master Yoda might send you to an early grave. Or vice versa."

Anakin chuckled and wandered over to sit down on a nearby couch, relishing the easy movements of his lighter cyborg limbs, "We're doing surprisingly well. You will observe that Yoda is still in one piece and I'm healthier than I've been in 30 years. Yoda and I argue a lot, but I think we've figured out a great deal about where I went wrong and ..."

"How the Order went wrong," Luke finished firmly. "Yes, we are grateful for your insight as we work to establish a new, healthier generation of Jedi. For one thing, we absolutely are not permitting children to be taken from their parents for training. In fact, giving how both you and I learned well later in life, we're thinking we won't start anything formal until at least the early teens."

"You and I are exceptional," Anakin pointed out. "It will delay the age at which a Force Sensitive achieves the status of Jedi Knight."

"Children need their parents," Luke said flatly, "and I'm all for teens no longer being sent into a war zone like you and Ahsoka were."

The door slid open and the two Skywalker men turned with broad smiles as three year old identical boy twins, freshly awake from their naps, stormed into the room with Mara chasing them.

"Grandpa!" they shrieked.

/

_Author Note: Thanks so much for your continued reading and reviewing. Re Yoda still being alive, I figured that he forced himself to stay alive so he could train Leia and Luke and Mara and then Palpatine died and Vader turned back to the Light, which gave him a burst of energy. Stay safe, everyone! _


	18. Chapter 18

_Death Star_

_In orbit around Alderaan_

"Dantooine," Leia Organa admitted, her head bowing in submission. "They're on Dantooine."

"There, you see, Lord Vader? I told you she could be reasonable. Continue with the operation, you may fire when ready."

"What?!" Princess Leia cried out in horror.

"You're far too trusting," Governor Wilhuff Tarkin said condescendingly. "Dantooine is too remote …"

There was a sudden clunk and before Tarkin could react, before he could even think, a very hard fist impacted on his chin with sufficient force that he crashed into the floor with burning meteorites flashing across his vision. A moment later, he felt someone grasp one arm hard even as a blaster was shoved into his neck.

"Get up, Tarkin," a familiar feminine voice hissed.

Wilhuff Tarkin obeyed in a state of shock — shock which was not diminished at all by the sight which met his bulging eyes. To one side, huddled against a wall, was Princess Leia Organa, whose hands were now free. On the other side, a red maned woman was competently blocking blaster shots with a _lightsaber_ and chopping troopers and officers into pieces. Last of all, Darth Vader_, Darth Vader_, was locked in combat with a young, black clad blond male whose flashing green lightsaber was blocking Vader's red one beat for beat. _What. In. The. Galaxy!_

There was the sudden sound of a blaster going off and Tarkin winced as the shot whizzed past his chin and impacted on an instrument panel. His captor spoke loudly and authoritatively, "Lord Vader, you will stop this fight or I'll blow Tarkin's head off."

"Do it, Vader," Tarkin ordered with a slight quaver. The Sith hesitated, then took a step back from his opponent, who also took a step back. Both men left their lightsabers buzzing. Tarkin noted with dismay that all the officers and guards were dismembered heaps on the floor and the exit doors panels were sparking, which meant that it would be challenging for troops to come to their rescue. Not that they should need rescue, exactly, with Vader here, but this threesome was clearly trouble.

"Leia?" the blond said in surprise.

"Luke!" the woman at his back said incredulously, "what am I doing here?"

"I have no idea."

"I'll take Tarkin," the redhead stated coldly, stepping closer and grabbing Tarkin's arm. The Moff stumbled obediently after her and found himself forced down into a chair, where he turned his eyes onto the woman who had hit him in the mouth.

His mouth gaped open in astonishment. The woman was short, dark haired, gorgeous, and clearly very pregnant. She also looked like an older version of ... of ... Princess Organa.

"What are you doing, Emperor's Hand?" Vader demanded angrily of Mara. "How did you get in here?"

Mara stared at Vader and rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Really? We have to deal with you again?"

"Where are we?" Luke asked in a puzzled tone.

"Death Star control room," Leia explained succinctly.

"That's Alderaan," Mara declared grimly, lifting her hand to point out the viewscreen.

Luke turned slightly now, though he kept 80% of his attention on his father. The girl huddled against a wall, eyes wide in disbelief, was so familiar and yet …

"Who are you?" 19 year old Princess Leia demanded in confusion. "How did you get here?"

Luke sighed and took a few more steps away from Vader, though he was sure to stay between the Sith and his wife and sister.

"That's a great question with a complicated answer," he said patiently. "My name is Luke and I'm from 9 years in the future. This is my wife, Mara, who in this time is still a hapless slave to the Emperor and this, young Leia, is ... um ... old Leia."

"Thanks, Luke," Leia said with a smile.

As two Leias gazed at one another, the younger Leia shook her head, "Time travel is …"

"Impossible," Darth Vader boomed coldly. "Absolutely impossible."

Older Leia glared at her biological sire, "Yeah, we've heard it all before. Every single time we travel through time and meet you, you say the same thing. It is so tedious. It is not impossible. We've done it a number of times. I just don't get what _I _am doing here. I am 6 months pregnant with twins! I am not exactly at my fighting best."

"Obviously, the Force wanted you here," Luke murmured.

Leia frowned hideously and then her face relaxed a little, "I didn't realize how much I wanted to sock old Tarkin in the jaw. That was fun."

"Who are you?" Darth Vader demanded, stalking a step closer. "No one of your power should be alive in the galaxy and a pathetic devotee to the Light. It is impossible."

"I'm Luke Skywalker," Luke said simply.

Darth Vader froze in shock even as Tarkin gasped aloud.

"Skywalker?" Tarkin muttered feebly.

"Impossible!" Vader croaked aloud.

"Not impossible," Leia said sternly. "Anakin Skywalker married Padme Amidala Naberrie at the beginning of the Clone Wars. She conceived his progeny and successfully delivered before tragically dying in childbirth. Anakin Skywalker, being a complete moron, turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. And Vader, you did not kill your wife on Mustafar, though that loathsome Lahn-rat you call a Master told you that you did."

Vader actually wavered slightly and took a step back, "Impossible!"

"You keep using that word," Mara said drily. "I do not think it means what you think it means."

"You mean that you … you are Darth Vader's _son_?" Younger Leia asked incredulously, her eyes horrified.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Luke said. "But while I am a very strong Force Sensitive like he is, I'm a decent fellow, if I do say so myself. Vader is the black shaak in the family. Mom was a devotee of democracy, and my sister and I are both completely committed to the New Republic and the Light Side of the Force."

"Sister?!" Vader asked feebly.

"New Republic?" Younger Leia asked in confusion.

"Yes, Padme bore you twins," Luke explained, his gaze switching between his alter father and his alter sister, "and we do destroy the Emperor and the Empire eventually. Unfortunately in our timeline, Alderaan is destroyed. So I guess we're here to keep that from happening. I must admit I'm getting a little tired of blowing up the Death Star but duty calls."

Younger Leia cast a worried look at her precious planet and looked at the time travelers hopefully, "So you think you can destroy the Death Star?"

"Yes," Luke said thoughtfully, glancing around, "though I'm not exactly sure what the procedure will be this time around. As usual, we have to cope with our maniac of a father."

Vader was actually shaking slightly, his left hand fisted tightly, his right hand clutching his lightsaber as a drowning man clasps a rope, "Is it true? Did … did Padme truly live to give birth?"

"Um, yeah, it's true," Luke said sympathetically, "You can see that I look so much like Anakin, though I have our mother's height. And Leia is the very image of Padme, isn't she?"

A full sixty seconds went by as Vader, young Leia, and Tarkin grappled with the enormity of this statement.

"No," the younger girl cried out, her eyes now on Vader. "No! He … he …"

"Tortured you, I know," older Leia said compassionately, waddling over and putting a gentle arm around her younger self. "He totally sucks convor eggs as a parent. Thankfully we had Bail and Breha and they were great. But yeah, I'm afraid Darth Vader is our biological father. We're sorry."

"We hate dumping that on you," Luke said compassionately, "but Vader showed in our timeline that as totally screwed up as he is, he is actually quite attached to his family. It's a very Tatooine thing."

"Tatooine?" Younger Leia and Vader repeated, the former in confusion and the latter with loathing.

"Yes, I grew up on Tatooine," Luke explained. "Last place you'd look for a stray son, right? It is a disgusting place — sand, and wind, and heat, and more sand."

"Sand is rough and coarse and irritating and gets everywhere," the Sith fumed.

"But, on Tatooine, family is important. In my timeline, you spent the next four years serving Palpatine with slavish devotion, only to finally kill the old rancor when he tried to kill me. Those four years didn't exactly improve your relationship with your children, which obviously was off to a rocky start anyway since you tortured your daughter. So I would suggest that instead of wasting all that time, you just decide to join the Rebellion and turn back to the Light now, not later."

"Vader," Tarkin said feebly. "This is nonsense, you must see that. Alderaan must be destroyed and these individuals, whomever they are …"

"It is impossible to turn back to the Light," Vader interrupted. "Impossible."

"That seems to be your favorite word," Luke said, eyebrows raised. "I didn't know that. Anyway, it is not impossible because I saw you do it. In my timeline, you killed the Emperor, saved my life, turned back to the Light in the process and died tragically in my arms. It was very sad because for all that you are a walking cyborg disaster, I truly love you."

"Vader!" Tarkin snarled.

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, reached out a hand and snapped Wilhuff Tarkin's neck like a twig. The man fell onto the floor in a heap of limbs and Mara lowered the blaster which she'd been holding at his neck.

"Very well," Darth Vader said gravely. "What should we do?"

Luke and Leia exchanged shocked looks and Luke shook his head, "Just like that?"

"You tell me that my children are alive, that I did not … not kill my wife," Vader returned, his vocoder tight with suppressed anguish. "You tell me that in the future, I turned back to the Light. That seems impossible to me but I do, at least, wish to be on the side of my family."

"What about the Emperor?" Younger Leia demanded coldly. "You have been completely loyal to him for decades, Lord Vader."

"I hate him," the Sith hissed suddenly. "I hate him! He manipulated me, he lied to me, he used me and he harmed me. Now that I know the truth about ... about Padme, about my children, I want him dead as quickly and thoroughly as possible."

Luke blinked and nodded, "Well, Ok then. Let's come up with a plan."

/


	19. Chapter 19

_Millennium Falcon_

_Hanger Bay_

_Death Star_

_In orbit around Alderaan_

"Boy, its lucky you have these compartments," young Luke Skywalker murmured, looking cautiously out of the chamber where he and his companions were hiding.

"I use them for smuggling," Han Solo began, then abruptly lifted his blaster and fired directly at the man who stepped into view. To his shock and dismay, the man lifted up one hand and calmly deflected the blaster shots. The next moment, something unseen yet incredibly strong yanked the blaster from his hand, causing it to sail into his antagonist's hand.

"Take it easy, Han," older Luke said mildly. "I'm on your side."

"Is everything Ok up there?" a feminine voice called up the ramp.

"We're good, Leia!" Older Luke yelled back. "Han just shot at me!"

"Figures!"

"Who ... who are you?" Younger Luke demanded, pulling himself out of the compartment even as Chewbacca and Obi-Wan looked on in unsettled confusion.

"I'm you," Older Luke said simply, "from about 9 years in the future. The Force has sent me back to try and help fix the current problems in the galaxy."

Solo coughed in disbelief even as he vaulted out of the smuggling chamber, "Time travel is ..."

"Impossible," Future Luke finished. "Yes, that's everyone's favorite word today. Unlikely, yes, but not impossible. As proof, let me tell you a few things about your life, Han Solo. You were born on Corellia and lived as a scrumrat under the unpleasant auspices of Lady Proxima of the White Worms gang. You escaped Corellia, joined the Empire, then deserted on Mimban right after you saved Chewbacca here. A little later, you found your first love, Qi'ra, working for Crimson Dawn. Shall I go on?"

Solo stared, smacked his head hard with one hand, stared again, and finally looked at Chewbacca, who had climbed to his feet and was now staring at Luke in awe.

"Waddya think, fuzzball?"

Chewbacca howled at some length and Han sighed, "Ok, it's pretty weird stuff, but Jedi stuff is weird. We'll go with it for now."

"Are you really me?" young Luke demanded in surprise. "No offense, but you look pretty old."

Future Luke smiled a little sadly and nodded, "It's not the years, Kid, it's the parsecs."

Obi-Wan Kenobi put one elderly knee up and Luke stepped forward to help lift the old Jedi from the smuggling compartment.

"Hello, Ben," he murmured softly.

"So you do know me?" Kenobi responded, quirking one eyebrow curiously.

"Of course I do," the young Jedi responded, wiping his eyes surreptitiously. "I met you on Tatooine just like younger Luke did, of course. But I haven't seen you in a long time because in my timeline, Vader killed you here on the Death Star."

There was a sudden, shocked intake of breath and Luke cried out, "Vader is here? Now?"

"Yes, he's down at the bottom of the ramp waiting. But don't worry, I've forbidden him from killing you, Ben, though of course he wants to. He's been obsessing about murdering you slowly and thoroughly for almost 20 years. It's pretty unhealthy."

"Darth Vader is down at the bottom of the ramp," young Luke repeated, his face now as hard as durasteel.

"Yes?"

"I'm going down there right now," the younger man said, placing one hand on his lightsaber and taking a firm step toward the exit.

"Bad idea, Kid," Han said, putting a restraining hand on the youth's arm. "He's a killer."

"Yes, he is," young Luke snarled.

"So what?" Han asked in exasperation. "You're just going to march down and try to slay him?"

The young man blinked in bewilderment, frowned, then shook his head, "No. I'm going to walk down there and say, '_Hello. My name is Luke Skywalker. You killed my father. Prepare to die._' Then I'll try to kill him."

Older Luke snorted at this, then began laughing, "I had forgotten how dramatic I was a decade ago."

"How can you laugh about the man who murdered our father?" young Luke demanded angrily.

"Vader didn't murder our father."

The floppy blond hair shifted as young Luke shot a bewildered glance at Obi-Wan, who was looking constipated.

"Ben said ..."

"Ben lied," older Luke stated gently.

"I told you the truth, from a certain ..."

"Point of view," Future Luke finished drily. "Look, I know this will be a shock but let's just get right to it. Darth Vader didn't kill Anakin Skywalker. He _was_ Anakin Skywalker. He is our father."

Chewbacca howled and Han swore softly.

"That's impossible!" young Luke sputtered, his face white.

"I said the same thing," Older Luke said gloomily, "but it's true. Let's sit down in the main cabin. It's a long and complicated story and it would be best if you had the basic gist before you talk to Vader and your twin sister."

"Twin sister?!"

/

"Young Luke is so bright in the Force!" Mara muttered aloud.

"Yeah, I guess Kenobi was shielding him until now," pregnant Leia commented. "At this point old Obi-Wan must realize it is pointless, but in our timeline he must have been shielding like mad the whole time Luke was running around rescuing me, because of course Luke didn't learn to shield until later."

"Your brother rescued you from the Death Star?" younger Leia asked incredulously.

"Yes," older Leia explained, turning to face her young counterpart. All three women were seated on comfortable chairs at the bottom of the _Falcon_'s ramp. Darth Vader was standing beside Mara, breathing in his annoying and repetitive way.

"And you escaped?" Leia continued.

"Yes, we got out, though Vader killed Kenobi in a duel just before we lifted off."

"I have dreamed about killing Kenobi the last twenty years," Darth Vader growled. "Indeed, I am not certain I can restrain myself."

Mara rose fluidly to her feet and turned to take a menacing step towards her alter father-in-law, "You don't touch a hair on his gray head, you got it? I realize Obi-Wan made some _major_ mistakes but we need him right now. Your son just lost his aunt and uncle on Tatooine to rampaging stormtroopers, and Kenobi is all he has left of his former life. If you kill Kenobi in a hissy fit, it'll make it that much harder to forge a decent relationship with your son. Is that clear?"

"I do not, as you put it, throw hissy fits," Vader snarled.

"You have major anger management issues," Mara riposted. "You need to reach deep inside of you for some semblance of patience and calm."

The two glared at one another for another ten seconds, and then Vader took a tiny step backwards, "Very well. I accede to your greater understanding of my son."

"Thank you," Mara replied sarcastically.

"So how did you and ... um ... your Luke meet?" younger Leia asked.

Mara chuckled, "Oh, the usual way. I was working for Palpatine as a Hand – a sort of special agent. I was totally devoted to the man and when he died, I discovered that Luke Skywalker had been present and probably had killed him. So I tried to assassinate Luke. He was way too strong for me and captured me and tossed me into jail, came to visit me a few times, and naturally we fell in love."

The younger girl's eyes were wide, "Naturally."

There was a pause, and then young Leia turned with determination to her older self, "So, what about you? You're pregnant so obviously you, um ..."

"I'm married, yes," Leia said with a glimmering smile.

"Please tell me the father isn't that annoying Prince from Hynestia who has been making up to me!"

The older woman chuckled, "Not a chance. Keep in mind you are a war criminal now."

"That's true," Leia replied thoughtfully. "I lost track of that for just a minute. So the princes and kings aren't interested in me anymore?"

Future Leia smiled a little, "Not at the moment, anyway. By the time the war ended, I was already in love with my husband."

"And who is your husband?"

Leia hesitated even as she caressed her giant baby bump, "Are you sure you want to know? With our intervention in this timeline, everything may change."

"Yes, I want to know."

Voices from the _Falcon_ cut through the air, and a moment later a tall, dark haired man swaggered down the ramp, complaining enthusiastically over his shoulder to both Luke Skywalkers.

"Listen, I'm not in it for your Rebellion, you got that? I'm in it for the money!"

"That's him," Leia said with a grin. "That's my husband."

Young Leia quivered, "You've got to be kidding me!"

/

_Death Star Conference Room_

_Death Star_

_In orbit around Caamas_

_4 hours later_

"You want to evacuate the Death Star?" Younger Leia demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Luke and Leia said simultaneously.

"Why?" The younger woman asked in disbelief. "They are Imperial troops!"

"And slaves, and prisoners, and technicians," Luke said gravely.

"And even the troopers aren't necessarily guilty of anything but desperation," young Luke commented hesitantly. "I know what it's like. On Tatooine, most people are trying to get off planet and one of the few ways to escape is to sign up with the Empire."

"I admit that's what I did on Corellia," Solo chimed in. "I had to get off planet as soon as possible so I joined up."

Princess Leia Organa of unexploded Alderaan sighed deeply and ran a weary hand over her forehead, "Ok, I see your point. You said that you destroyed the battle station before though, right?"

Older Luke nodded, "Yes, I did. The first time was in my original timeline. The Death Star was about to destroy a Rebel base and it was the only option. I don't regret it, though I do grieve over the loss of a million sentients. The second time, Leia and I were tossed back in time to an alternate timeline. Again, we had to destroy the Death Star, which was seconds away from obliterating Alderaan. That time, I was well trained and I felt all those deaths …"

He trailed away and looked out the window, through which swam the swamp world of Caamas.

"We have an opportunity, this time, to save these people, or at least some of them."

"How?" young Luke asked practically.

Older Leia gestured toward the window, "That is why we asked Lord Vader to bring the Death Star here. Caamas was the subject of an Imperial bombardment a short time after the rise of the Empire. Its ecosystem was almost destroyed. However, in the intervening years it has healed significantly. My counterpart went here on a humanitarian mission about a year ago."

"I did," younger Leia agreed thoughtfully. "The planet is still largely uninhabited. You are thinking Lord Vader could order everyone on board the Death Star to evacuate? That would save their lives in the short term, but I don't think there would be easily available food down there."

"I seem to remember there were some edible animals," Older Leia murmured, "but that is a problem. Perhaps you could convince ... your parents to assist?"

"A humanitarian mission to the Imperials who almost blew up Alderaan," her younger self commented drily. "That's a stretch even for us."

"I believe the whole idea, while noble, is unwise," Kenobi said worriedly. He was seated at one end of the table, Darth Vader was seated at the other end, and the remaining humans and one Wookiee were scattered in between to provide a buffer.

"The Death Star can destroy planets," he continued. "If we delay to evacuate, the Emperor's forces could conceivable retake the station."

"I agree," Darth Vader stated in a rather long suffering tone.

"You agree with Obi-Wan Kenobi," Mara said with a smile. "That is unexpected."

"I am willing to align myself with my children's wishes," Vader continued. "However, it is true that a full evacuation would take more time than we safely have."

Kenobi nodded gravely, then frowned and rose to his feet. He walked slowly over to the window and stared down at Caamas.

"What is the geography of Caamas?"

Older Leia walked next to the old Jedi and peered at the boggy planet below, "Well, it has a terrestrial crust but the swamps cover 90% of the planet and some are very deep."

"Hmmm," Kenobi replied, and shot a daring look at Vader.

"Hmmm what?" Older Luke demanded.

"It is not important. Even your father could not manage such a feat."

"I most certainly could," Vader replied indignantly.

"The _Invisible Hand _was a mere Kashyyk land shrimp compared to this battle station."

"Nevertheless," Vader riposted, locking his hands behind his back as he gazed at Caamas, "it would be entirely possible."

"What are you talking about?" Younger Leia demanded.

"I think," Older Luke murmured in shock, "they are talking about landing the Death Star on Caamas."

"What?!" Older Leia inquired. "That's impossible! It would crash and disintegrate, would it not?"

"No," Vader rumbled with confidence. "The Death Star is fully equipped with thrusters to allow it considerable maneuverability. This was necessary during its lengthy construction phase. I could land the station intact in the bogs. It would never rise again, of course, due to the gravitational constraints of Caamas."

There was a thoughtful pause and then Future Luke smiled broadly, "With the station intact, the individuals on board would be able to use it as a base for a considerable time. I'll help you, Father. Let's do this!"

_Author Note: I am not sure if this would really be remotely feasible. The Death Star was huge. But Anakin landed half a ship on Coruscant successfully. If anyone can do it, Vader can!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Cockpit_

_Millennium Falcon_

_In space outside Caamas_

_One hour later_

"I still wish I could have stayed," young Luke Skywalker murmured sadly. "I've wanted to know my father my whole life."

"Believe me," his twin sister said bitterly, "You aren't missing a thing."

Older Leia placed a comforting arm around her younger self, "You have every right and reason to loathe the man, Leia. Don't deny yourself the right to grieve over your experience. But realize that your brother has been longing to know Anakin Skywalker his entire life."

"But he isn't Anakin Skywalker anymore, is he?"

"No, he isn't," her Alter agreed. "He's a screwed up, psychopathic, dark souled monstrosity who at some level really cares about his kids."

"That doesn't make much sense."

"He's a bizarre person and many things about him don't make sense."

"Are you sure he and Ben and the Other Luke and uh Mara won't need us to help them kill Palpatine? I want to help!" young Luke Skywalker commented worriedly.

Older Leia laughed kindly and slapped the youth on the shoulder, "Listen, Luke, you may have the Force power of the ages but realistically, you have had like one hour of Force training. There is no way an entirely untrained Force Sensitive can take on a trained Sith, let alone Palpatine. He'd kill you in about 3 seconds or worse yet, capture you."

"So we're just running away?" young Luke pouted.

"We're on a mission to Alderaan to pick up your twin's parents, and then we'll proceed to the Rebel Base," older Leia said patiently. "I will give you some training until I disappear back to my old timeline. Your Leia will get some healing after her ordeal on the Death Star at your mutual father's hands. Don't be a putz."

Luke slumped slightly, "I'm sorry, Leia."

"It's Ok," Leia replied wearily. "At least my planet didn't get blown up."

Older Leia winced, causing her younger counterpart to reach out a contrite hand, "I'm sorry."

"Look, all this family bonding is terrific," Han Solo grumbled, "but I wanna make it clear that once we land on Alderaan, I want my credits and then I'm outta here. I have a 1400 kg Huttese crime lord calling for my blood and by the Maw, I'm taking my money and running!"

Younger Leia stared at the smuggler incredulously and turned to her pregnant counterpart, "Are you absolutely sure about him? I mean, really?"

"I told you that we've changed the timeline ..."

"I know, but still, you actually married the Han Solo in your timeline."

"Yes."

"What!?" Solo gasped

"You are carrying his twin children," young Leia continued relentlessly.

"Again, yes. Han Solo is a fine man once you get his crusty, crabby, sardonic, sarcastic exterior."

Chewbacca roared with obvious amusement and smacked Solo on the shoulder.

"Yeah, laugh it up you overgrown walking carpet!" Solo snapped.

/

_The Death Star control room_

"Is it too late to say that perhaps this is a bad idea?" Obi-Wan Kenobi inquired mildly.

"I'm afraid so, Ben," Older Luke said with a chuckle. "You'd better strap in."

"Or do not," Vader replied coldly. "It is quite all right with me if your decrepit body is tossed around the command center and shattered like convor eggs."

Kenobi gazed sadly at his old friend and apprentice even as he strapped himself in. Luke compressed his lips but did not speak. There were oceans of bad blood between his father and Kenobi, but now was not the time to address it.

"Commence firing thrusters 56 through 334," Vader ordered.

Luke obeyed silently, his hands skipping across the controls.

"Do you mind if we just do a mind link?" he asked Vader cautiously. "I think it would save precious time."

The behemoth glanced briefly at his Alter son, hesitated, then nodded, "Very well."

The next few minutes were admittedly exhilarating for Luke. In all his various trips through time, he had never worked so closely with his father in a piloting endeavor. Well, of course not. No one in the history of the galaxy had ever tried to land a Death Star in a bog.

_"I'm adjusting internal gravity,"_ he told his father through their mind link.

"_Very well. Thirty seconds to impact."_

The Death Star trembled as the thrusters shifted under the gifted hands of father and son, and gently, tenderly, the great station lowered itself into the Caamasian muck. It sank softly and quietly into the great quagmire until the delicate balance between mud and Death Star's gravity and buoyancy found its rightful place. The great station became one with the mud.

It was done.

Luke heaved out a deep breath of relief and glanced at his wife, who had been sitting in a corner during the careful operation.

"How does it look, Mara?" he asked softly.

Mara was flipping through data almost faster than the eye could see, "It looks good, Luke. The battle station is maintaining integrity and the lower sections have not been breached, at least not yet."

"That is impressive," Luke admitted. "There must be a lot of pressure down there."

"I will give orders to the men on board regarding the appropriate chain of command before we depart," Vader rumbled.

/

_Imperial Palace_

_Imperial City_

_Imperial Center_

_A week later_

Mara Jade Skywalker hissed in disgust at the revolting slime now clinging to her boots.

"This is seriously nasty," she complained softly.

"I'm Ok with nasty," her husband replied, his gaze darting around carefully. "I'm just more concerned about being attacked by a dianoga."

"Once in a lifetime is probably enough for any man," Mara agreed, grabbing the rope and beginning the long climb up the side of the garbage chute.

"Father is approaching the elevator. I'd say we have about six minutes to reach the Royal Kitchen and sneak through it to the Throne Room."

"We'll make it."

/

_Emperor's Throne Room_

"Rise, Lord Vader," Darth Sidious hissed. He was in a seriously horrible mood. His Death Star was slowly sinking into a swamp on Caamas. His Death Star was _sinking_ into a _swamp. _

And now Darth Vader, his apprentice, his second in command, the most powerful Force Sensitive of his generation, had the unmitigated gall to show up projecting genuine happiness. Happy, presumably, because he had a prisoner — namely, one Obi-Wan Kenobi, former Jedi Master, the man responsible for turning Darth Vader into a crispy critter.

Death Star: lost

Obi-Wan Kenobi: captured

It was not a reasonable trade.

The Emperor's fingers itched. He really wanted to blast Vader with Force Lightning but he was so incensed, so enraged, so furious, that he might accidentally kill the man and he needed information now about what happened to the Death Star. Because the last thing he knew, the battle station was about to fire on Alderaan and now it was sinking into a _swamp._

A door slid open to the right and Palpatine bent a puzzled look toward the kitchens where cooks prepared him tasty food.

A moment later, to his increased bewilderment, his major domo entered the Throne Room bearing a ...

What was that? A Sic-Six Layer Cake? With myriad burning candles?

A group of dancing girls? Singing dancing girls? Dressed in vibrant green?

He hated green! Green reminded him of life! Black was the way to go!

"Happy Life Day, Great Emperor! Glorious, Mighty, Brilliant, and Wise! We salute you! We adore you!" the women sang as they danced in step.

Palpatine rose shakily to his feet, his fury mitigated by bewilderment. He hadn't asked for a cake, or a bevy of singing slave girls! What was this? It wasn't even his real Life Day!

He turned to Vader, who was standing silent and disapproving next to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was gazing at the gyrating chorus with a definite smirk on his face.

Outrageous!

There was a sudden hiss of lightsabers and Palpatine turned with even more amazement as two figures strode into the room from the kitchens, one with a blue lightsaber, the other with a green one. The black clad male promptly leaped to the elevator and began chopping his red guards into pieces. The woman, a familiar looking redhead, sliced through the chinks of armor of the nearest Royal Guard.

The six dancing girls, previously focused on pleasing their lord and master, stopped their movement and song and began shrieking in terror.

Darth Vader strode toward Palpatine and lit his lightsaber just as Obi-Wan Kenobi divested himself of his chains and pulled his own lightsaber from his drab garments.

It was an assassination attempt!

There were screams, and howls, and Palpatine lifted his arms and began shooting Vader with Force Lightning, which the junior Sith deflected, and the guards were striking with their Force pikes, and dying where they stood, and Kenobi was herding the hapless girls into a safe corner and there was suddenly cake in Palpatine's face and the last thing he saw.

The last thing he ever felt ...

And heard ...

Was a red lightsaber running through his chest ...

And the sound of a bass voice ...

"For Padme!"

/

_Mara Jade's Quarters_

_ Imperial City_

_ Imperial Center_

_ 4 hours later_

Mara Jade, 18 standard years of age, rocked rhythmically in her bed. She really wanted to bang her head against the wall, but that was probably excessively dramatic.

Her time traveling counterpart regarded her sympathetically before diving an experienced hand under her bed and pulling out a bedraggled loth cat plushie.

"Here."

"How did you know ...?" the younger woman asked feebly, then shook her head, "Right, you're me."

"I am you from nine years in the future and another timeline," Mara Jade Skywalker corrected. "We've changed this timeline so your life will no doubt be quite different than mine. Here, have something to drink."

She floated a hip flask over to her younger counterpart, who took it with wide eyes, "You've had a hard day."

"Yes, I have," young Mara murmured, taking a large sip. A moment later, she spewed blue milk onto the floor, her eyes wide in horror.

"What in all the galaxies?" she sputtered. "Is this blue milk?!"

The elder Mara winced openly, "I'm so sorry. I forgot I hated blue milk at your age."

Now young Mara looked deeply suspicious, "You like blue milk? It seems impossible that you could really be me because blue milk is the most repugnant, disgusting, nasty liquid in the galaxy!"

"Not that you're melodramatic or anything. But yeah, again, I'm sorry. I really did forget my former distaste. My husband introduced me to _fresh_ blue milk after our marriage, and once I got pregnant it was the only thing that reliably stayed down the first twelve weeks."

"You're married and pregnant?!"

"Married, yes, pregnant, no. Our son is over a year old now."

"You have a son."

"Uh-huh," older Mara said cheerfully, pulling out her holocube and switching it on. An image projected into the air showing Luke, Mara, and baby Biggs.

Young Mara slumped against a wall and ran a shaking hand over her face, "I can't believe you got married."

"It was a surprise to me as well."

The girl squinted at Luke's face, "I don't know him, do I?"

"No."

"Name?"

"Luke Skywalker, but keep in mind you don't have to marry the Luke Skywalker from this timeline. We've changed things."

"Where is this timeline's Luke Skywalker?"

"With the Rebels somewhere."

"He's a Rebel?"

"Yes."

"So he's some random Rebel and you just happened to meet him and fall in love and marry and have a baby."

"Um, it was a bit more complicated than that. Luke is the most powerful Force Sensitive in our galaxy. He was responsible for the death of Palpatine"

"So he was stronger than Palpatine?"

"I would say yes, though he wasn't as experienced, of course."

"What about Vader?"

"He's dead in our timeline, alive in this one."

"So I assume this Skywalker person isn't nearly as powerful as Vader?"

"Er ... he is, because, um, Luke is Vader's son."

Mara stared at her Alter and began banging her head against the wall. Softly.

"Don't do that."

"Vader has a kid."

"Two of them, actually. Luke has a twin sister."

"You married Darth Vader's son."

"He's a great guy."

"Please tell me that I have been injured in some mission and that this is all just some delusional nightmare and I'm really hooked up to a bacta bag in a med ward."

"No, this is real. Look, Mara, Palpatine stunk. He was a horrible, evil despot. He ordered his agents to kidnap you as a child and murder your family. He's dead because Luke and I came back in time and worked with Vader and an old Jedi to sink the Death Star into a bog. Then we hacked into the Imperial network on Imperial Center and ordered dancing girls and a cake to show up in the Throne Room and we climbed up the garbage chute into the kitchen and attacked ..."

She trailed off and scooted over to her younger counterpart, pulling her into an embrace, "It's Ok, Mara. It's Ok. Hug your plushie."

Mara did.

/

_Author Note: Stay safe, stay healthy. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Thanks to my wonderful editor/husband!_


	21. Chapter 21

_Throne Room_

_Imperial Palace_

_Imperial City_

_Imperial Center_

"Father, you should not kill Obi-Wan," Older Luke stated flatly.

Darth Vader was wearing a path between the throne and the giant transparisteel window which looked out over smoggy Imperial City.

"Why not?" he demanded harshly.

"Because my younger counterpart needs Ben."

"No, my son needs _me._ He needs _me_! I should have raised both of them, my son _and_ my daughter. They were stolen from me!"

Luke stepped boldly into his Alter Father's path and grasped the cyborg's arms firmly, forcing him to stop.

"Father, listen to me. I know you are on an emotional high, or low, or whatever, from killing Sidious, but use your considerable intelligence. You were badly injured when we were born. If you had found us, do you really think Palpatine would have let you raise us?"

Vader stared back at the youthful face for a long moment, and his helmet drooped dispiritedly.

"There is some truth in what you say," he admitted. "But why Tatooine?"

"Because I was certain you would never return there," Obi-Wan stated from his cross legged position on the floor. "It seemed a safe place to hide your son."

"Could you get off the floor?" the cyborg demanded. "Your current position is most undignified."

"I'm tired. I'm too old to be taking down Sith Lords."

Vader clenched his damaged teeth and returned to his previous rant, "Tatooine is a desolate wasteland, and a dangerous one to boot. I hated it with good reason. How could you subject my boy to that environment?"

Kenobi sighed and levered himself slowly to his feet, his knees making unsettling cracking noises in the process, "Darth, listen to me; yes, Tatooine stinks. Has it occurred to you that I too spent 19 years on that dustball with your son, watching over him and caring for him and keeping him safe from Hutts and Imperials? You used to whine about Tatooine incessantly when you were only there for nine years, and you were mewling child for the first two! I don't know why you are complaining. Luke might not have been thrilled with the place, but he was loved."

"That's true," Luke agreed, "though I'm with Father that Tatooine is a desolate hole. All that sand ..."

"I hate sand. It is coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere," Kenobi grumbled.

Darth Vader was staring at his old master as if he was a ghost, which he wasn't. Not yet, anyway.

"You also hate sand? You never told me that."

"I used to like sand," Kenobi explained in an aggrieved tone. "In my mind, sand was associated with oceans, and oceans are pleasant. But almost two decades on Tatooine has changed my mind irrevocably. Sand is loathsome."

"It is indeed," the Sith agreed.

Luke jerked slightly, causing the other two men to stare at him questioningly.

"My toes are tingling, which means I'm about to leave for my own timeline. Father, don't kill Kenobi. Also, work with the Rebellion and dismantle the Empire. Also, your health could be much improved. Palpatine kept you in a bad way because he wanted you weak. Also ..."

Luke vanished.

/

_Mara's Quarters_

_Imperial City_

"You should leave," Older Mara stated.

"And go where?" younger Mara inquired.

"To the Alliance. I hope Luke has managed to drum some sense into his father's bucket head but knowing Vader, he might just go crazy and start murdering people. You'll be safer with young Luke and Leia."

"Ok?"

"Go easy with Luke, by the way. He just got off a fifth rate farm on a ninth rate Outer Rim world. He's the very opposite of sophisticated."

"Ok."

"Take care of yourself, Mara."

Older Mara disappeared.

/

_Alliance Base_

_Yavin_

"Finally!" Older Leia yelped suddenly.

Young Luke Skywalker, thoroughly distracted by his alternate twin's shout, missed the warning in the Force and got zapped in the butt by one of the seekers.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry," Alternate Leia stated briskly, rising to her feet with her hands caressing her giant belly. "My feet are tingling so that means I am finally returning to my own timeline. Not that I don't love you all, but I so didn't want to go into labor here, of all places."

"Thanks for your help," Luke said sincerely. "I have learned a lot about using the Force."

"My pleasure."

Older Leia vanished.

/

_Conference Room_

_Royal Palace_

_Alderaan_

_6 months later_

"We wish to reconvene the Senate in five weeks, Emperor Vader," Leia Organa stated coolly. "Do you have any objection to that?"

The Sith Lord straightened his already straight back and stared directly at the diminutive princess, "Princess Leia, I love you, but I fail to see how the Senate could possibly be of help. Too many of them are puppets of the former Emperor. Most are corrupt. If you must entrust the galaxy to the vagaries of democracy, I suggest that new Senators be chosen."

"Mon?" Leia asked Mon Mothma, head of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

"There is much in what the Emperor says," Mon agreed thoughtfully, "Perhaps we could request that the leadership of the member planets choose a representative for the Senate, and we could arrange for democratic elections for the Senators in six to twelve months?"

Leia rubbed her hand over her forehead, "But many of the governmental officials of the member planets are corrupt themselves. It is not ideal. Perhaps we should wait to hold elections and then convene the Senate? How quickly could that be accomplished?"

"Princess Leia, I love you, but I find your decision to discard the most obvious answer to be quite perplexing."

"Emperor Vader, I do not wish to be Empress!" Leia snapped angrily.

"May I ask a question?" Carlist Rieekan inquired mildly.

"Certainly," Bail Organa stated.

"What is with this 'I love you' business?" the Rebel general asked, his eyes focused on Darth Vader.

Leia groaned aloud even as Vader carefully laced his cyborg fingers, "An excellent question, General Rieekan. The reality is that I want to strangle and dismember many of the individuals in this room."

Rieekan winced at these overly descriptive words but boldly forged on, "Whom do you wish to kill?"

"Whom do I _not_ wish to kill?" the Emperor demanded rhetorically. "Obi-Wan Kenobi took my infant children from me and hid them away. Bail and Breha Organa raised my daughter in the very sight of Palpatine himself. Many high profile Alliance members, some of them here, put my daughter in danger by allowing her to participate in the retrieval of the Death Star plans at Scarif. Mon Mothma, a former senator, has the audacity to be alive when my dear Padme is gone. Captain Solo is a gormless vagabond who has caught the eye of my daughter. He is not worthy of her ..."

"What exactly does gormless mean?" Solo demanded aloud.

"Foolish and dull," Leia replied absently, her brown eyes focused intently on her biological father, "I will marry whom I want, when I want, Vader."

"I accept that," the Sith rumbled, "even as I accept that you and your brother do not wish me to murder those whom you love. Therefore, I add the phrase 'I love you' frequently during these meetings to remind myself not to lash out."

"We appreciate your restraint," Mothma said diplomatically, though she was slightly pale.

"If you love me, Father, you will blow this meeting and go work on your TIE Advanced with me. Politics are so boring!" Luke whined.

Vader quivered noticeably. He also found meetings excessively tedious. Leia enjoyed negotiations and political machinations, as her mother had before her, but poor Luke …

"Please do, your Highness," Leia said primly. "We would be delighted to continue our discussion of the Senate while you and Luke take a break."

Darth Vader hesitated another moment before rising to his full, menacing, two meter height.

"Admiral Piett?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"I expect a full report regarding the discussions while I am absent."

"Yes, your Highness."

"Princess Leia?"

Leia sighed, "Yes?"

"I love you."

The slight figure of Luke Skywalker dashed for the door to the conference room, with his giant father lumbering after him, and the entire room of individuals, Rebel and Imperial alike, heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Well, now, let's get to work," Leia stated with determination. "The more we can get done before Vader gets back, the better."

She glanced at Admiral Piett and his Imperial underlings and smiled slightly, "I am allowed to say things like that since he's my biological father."

"Of course, your Highness," Piett replied meekly.

"Vader is right about one thing," Mon Mothma murmured thoughtfully. "It will take some time to convene a truly representative Senate."

"He's right about something else," Breha Organa chimed in unexpectedly. "You'd be a great Empress, Leia."

"No, I wouldn't."

There was a long pause as the Alliance attendees gazed at her and the Imperials looked terrified.

"Mon, Carlist, Mama, Papa, really, I don't want to be Empress."

Bail Organa looked fondly, if sadly, at his daughter, "Leia, it is not a question of what you want to be. The question is, what is best for the galaxy. The current Emperor is, frankly, terrifying. I believe he is not the best individual to lead the galaxy during this turbulent period."

"I don't want to be a figurehead," Leia snapped, rising to her feet and beginning to stalk menacingly around the table. "If I become Empress, then my position will inevitably become more and more that of a token. I love politics. I want to get my hands dirty, so to speak, not hang out in a royal palace and go to fancy parties with Solo …"

"That does sound terrible," Solo muttered.

"Exactly. A figurehead leader needs to be willing to be above the political fray, to dwell apart from it. I don't want to be that person!"

Admiral Firmus Piett cleared his throat carefully and the princess of Alderaan gazed at him curiously.

"Yes, Admiral?"

"If that is truly your desire, your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"Might I suggest your brother as an appropriate Emperor?"

/

_Darth Vader's private hanger_

"Hand me that hydrospanner, Son."

"Here you go. Thanks so much for getting me out of there, Father. I thought I would die of boredom."

"Indeed."

"And I can tell things are going well without us. Leia seems very happy."

/

_Leia and Han's apartment_

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_3 months later (in the original timeline)_

Han Solo stepped into his bedroom and halted with a mixture of joy, awe, and amazement.

His beautiful wife was lying reclined on their bed with their twins — one boy, one girl — nursing vigorously.

The joy was over his wife and babies.

The awe was that he had been so blessed to have such a family.

The amazement was that his babies were hovering in the air.

Leia opened her eyes halfway and grinned, "Hi there."

"Am I right that the Jedi Order banned this use of the Force?" Han inquired in a teasing tone, even as he carefully sat down on the side of the bed. His son Bail opened one doubtful eye but continued to apply himself to the most important business of his young life.

"It does seem like cheating," Leia agreed softly. "I was talking to Marina Antilles on the com yesterday because she's 3 months ahead of us on the whole twin thing. She said nursing them at the same time was a nightmare because when one baby was situated the other would pull off and it was just crazy. And here I am, able to make the babies hover conveniently in the air. But I'm so tired I don't even feel guilty."

"Here," Han said, handing over a large glass. Leia reached out a hand and gulped down the frosted chocolate shake in exactly 73 seconds, then leaned back with a sigh.

"Thanks."

"Um, shall I get you another one?"

"Please, in addition to being incredibly tired, I'm constantly hungry and thirsty."

"You are eating for three.

"Yes."

"Are you all right, Leia?" Han asked worriedly. Labor had been hard, caring for infant twins was far more exhausting than he had imagined, and he had neither birthed nor needed to produce food for his offspring.

Leia Organa Solo gazed at her daughter Breha, her son Bail, and then at her husband.

She smiled mistily, "I'm better than all right. I'm happier than I've ever been."

_Author Note: I hope and pray you all are staying safe from coronavirus while people get back to work, because work is important and necessary. Thanks to those of you still reading and reviewing, and thank you, dear husband, for editing!_


	22. Chapter 22

_Author Warning: This one is sadder than my usual offerings._

_Polis Massa_

"Medically, she's completely healthy," the med droid said with a wave of his mechanical arms. "For reasons, we can't explain, we are losing her."

"She's dying?" Obi-Wan Kenobi demanded incredulously.

"We don't know why. She has lost the will to live," the droid replied. "We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies."

"Babies?!" Bail Organa asked in amazement.

"She's carrying twins," the med droid explained.

Obi-Wan ran a weary hand over his mouth. First Anakin was lost to the Dark Side and the lava, and now Padme was dying? It was too much to bear.

"Who is that?" Bail demanded suddenly.

Kenobi's head jerked up in astonishment. Two human figures, one male, one female, now stood next to the prone figure of Padme Skywalker lying on her medical bed.

"What in all the galaxies?" he cried out, rushing into the med room at the heels of Master Yoda and Bail Organa.

"Who are you?" Bail demanded harshly even as he yanked out a blaster. Given the death of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, and the slaughter of the Jedi, he couldn't take any chances about his dear friend Padme. Perhaps these were assassins?

The lovely, dark haired woman lifted her gaze from Padme and her eyes widened in shock, "Papa!"

Bail's hand dropped in astonishment, "What?"

Leia shook her head apologetically, "I'm sorry. That's confusing, I know. I'm Leia, this is Luke. We're Padme's twins from about 30 years in the future."

There was a long pause while the Yoda and Kenobi exchanged incredulous glances and Bail Organa gaped in a very unroyal way.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Kenobi asked angrily.

"Not at all, Obi-Wan Kenobi," the young man said, though he kept staring at his fragile mother, who was nearly unconscious and moaning on the table. "You and Master Yoda must be able to tell that we are trained Force Sensitives, and we are Light Siders. The Force sends us randomly here and there to fix timelines and this time ... this time it looks like we are supposed to save our mother."

"What happened to her?" Leia asked softly. "We never heard the details of her last interaction with Vader."

Kenobi hesitated, then decided on honesty. The Force was ringing with truth; incredibly enough, these two were from the future, and were Anakin's offspring.

"I stowed away on Padme's ship because I knew she would rush to Anakin and try to turn him back. He had already slaughtered the younglings in the Jedi Temple; he had to be stopped. When he discovered my presence, he thought ... he thought she had betrayed him. He choked her in a rage."

Leia's eyes flashed with pain and anger, "He choked his pregnant wife?"

"Yes."

"Why is she dying?" Luke demanded quietly, his eyes somber.

"We are losing her," the med droid repeated. "We don't know why, but she has lost the will to live."

Leia scoffed aloud, "You have got to be kidding me. Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker, giving up? She has baby twins to live for!"

"I suspect that is med droid speak for 'we don't know what is going on'," Luke murmured softly, placing his hands on his mother's head and focusing his considerable power on her.

Leia reached out and touched her brother's arm, closing her eyes and joining with him ...

"What is that?" she demanded suddenly.

Luke scrunched up his face, concentrating, "Force Bond, I think between our father and mother. They would have one, of course. But there is something wrong, it's like energy is flowing away from Mother!"

He looked up now, his gaze spearing Kenobi, "Where is our father?"

"He is dead," Kenobi stated heavily. "I'm sorry, but he ... I tried to bring him back to the Light and he wouldn't listen to me. We fought in the lava flows of Mustafar. In the end, I ... I removed his remaining limbs and he burned to death. I am so sorry. He was my brother and I loved ..."

"He's not dead," Luke interrupted without compunction even as he turned to his twin, "It's got to be Sidious, Leia. He's using Mother's life force to sustain Father. It's the only explanation for what we are feeling. Father is dying and the Emperor is drawing on Padme's strength to sustain him while he is placed in the suit."

"What suit?" Bail demanded.

Leia's eyes were wide, her face pale, her lips compressed, "Can we stop Palpatine?"

Luke's jaw clenched, "We can. But if we stop him ..."

"Our father dies."

Both twins gazed at the mound of womb where their infant selves were waiting to be born.

"They need her way more than they need him," Luke murmured.

"Given that he's now a homicidal maniac, absolutely."

"He'll never have the chance to turn back to the Light ..."

"Alderaan might be saved," Leia stated flatly.

Luke took a deep breath and nodded, though tears filled his blue eyes, "Let's do this, Leia."

The Skywalker twins entwined their hands and laid them gently on their mother's frail form. They reached into the Force and ...

/

_Palpatine's Private Medical Ward_

_Coruscant_

Darth Sidious hissed in rage and disbelief. Something, no someone, someone _incredibly powerful_, was interfering with his frantic attempt to save Vader by draining the Life Force from Padme Skywalker. He closed his eyes and reached with all his strength into the Force, trying to sustain his fatally injured apprentice. And was stopped. Batted aside easily. Was it one person or two? There seemed to be two signatures, but they were joined in an odd way. They were unfamiliar, though. How could he have missed two such strong Force Sensitives, especially two who were able to connect to Amidala and stop him from killing the wife to save her husband?

His ears were suddenly ringing with the sounds of alarms, and the med droids were chattering to one another in languages Basic and binary, and the heart beat of Darth Vader slowed.

And slowed.

And slowed.

And stopped.

"I am sorry, your Highness," the main med droid announced six minutes later, after every attempt to revive the burnt corpse had failed. "Lord Vader is dead."

A minute later, every med droid in the room was a shattered heap of sparking wires and red blinking lights and Darth Sidious, breathing heavily, was standing over the still form of his apprentice.

Darth Vader was dead.

The future of the Empire suddenly looked far less certain.

/

_Maximum Security Prison Ship_

_In Orbit Around Alderaan_

_6 years later_

Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker stepped into the room adjacent to the execution chamber and strode up to the glass so that the captive inside could see her easily.

"Senator Amidala," Darth Sidious croaked, his yellow eyes narrow with fury and fear. His legs were gone, lost in a fight with Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and a legion of other Jedi who had survived Order 66 and banded together to destroy him. His arms were chained to the chair on which he had been seated, and a shock collar was around his throat.

"Sheev Palpatine," Amidala said coldly. "You have been tried in the high court of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and found guilty. The sentence is death."

Palpatine grimaced and reached out with the Force towards her in a ferocious attempt to kill or wound, only to be blocked by Kenobi and Yoda, whom he sensed were nearby though he couldn't see them with his eyes.

"And will you carry out the sentence yourself?" the former Emperor inquired sarcastically.

Padme leaned forward and typed in her personal password, "Mon Mothma?"

In a nearby office, Mon Mothma also typed in a password.

"Senator Organa?"

"Entering password now," the viceroy of Alderaan replied solemnly from his own working space.

Padme continued calling on the other seven members of the Alliance High Council, all of whom typed in their passwords, giving their permission to execute Sheev Palpatine.

The light on the console turned red, and Padme took a step forward to gaze directly into the Sith Lord's scarred and wrinkled face.

"You destroyed most of the Jedi using Order 66," she stated with durasteel calm, "and you destroyed my husband through his fears for my well being. My twin children have grown up without a father because of you. I will always grieve Anakin's loss, but I will find some peace in your death. Farewell, Sheev Palpatine."

Her right hand reached out and she stabbed the red button. A second later, the execution cell filled with poisonous gas which infiltrated Palpatine's airway and into his lungs and onto his nervous system. He twitched briefly, his eyes rolled back, and six seconds later, Emperor Palpatine was dead.

"For Anakin," Padme murmured, her eyes filled with tears. "For Anakin."

/

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_5 years later_

"Here," Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker Kenobi murmured, reaching out to yank her husband's hand onto her belly.

"I feel it!" Obi-Wan murmured in a hushed tone. "I feel her kick!"

"Or him."

"I'm certain it is a her."

"Oh, Obi-Wan, I am not having this argument with another husband. Anakin thought the same thing, that we were having a girl and I was certain we were having a boy. We were both right, of course, but this time I am sure it is one, not two!"

"We'll see in about 4 months," Kenobi murmured, leaning over to kiss Padme's hair.

There was a shout from the shore and the couple looked up quickly just as ten year old Luke Skywalker leaped off a large rock and hurtled into the water, causing a gigantic splash. Leia, never one to be left behind by her twin, followed up with a larger leap and even larger splash.

"Luke looks so much like Anakin," Padme murmured.

"He does. And Leia is the very image of you."

Padme nodded and leaned against her husband's chest with a sigh. She truly loved Obi-Wan, who had guarded her and the twins through six years of war, then had resigned his position with the Jedi when Padme had refused to release Luke and Leia to Master Yoda when the war ended. It was clear already that the twins rivaled the power of their dead father, and Obi-Wan had stood by her when she insisted that they needed a normal life with a semi-normal family. She still had moments of intense sorrow over the loss of Anakin, but she could soldier through it, as she had soldiered through so many griefs.

"I miss him too, Padme," Obi-Wan murmured. "He truly was like a brother to me and I loved him."

Padme put a hand on her husband's arm and smiled sadly. Obi-Wan could always tell when she was melancholy over the loss of Anakin.

"As we've said before," she said quietly, "it was for the best that I lived and...and Anakin died. In the time traveling twins' timeline, Alderaan was destroyed. I wish Anakin's end had been different, but I willingly trade his life for the life of an entire planet."

Kenobi kissed her again, "Indeed."

/

_Author Note: This one was a somber one, wasn't it? Also,I am guessing some of you are creeped out that Padme and Obi-Wan got married BUT hey, it had been 10 years since Anakin/Vader died and Obi-Wan is a good guy. I could flesh this out but I won't. Suffice it to say Anakin was gone, the twins needed a good father figure, so Kenobi was around a lot and Padme and Kenobi fell in love and got married. _


	23. Chapter 23

_Author Note: For those of you who found the previous chapter unpalatable, here is a fix it chapter of sorts. The first bit is exactly the same as the beginning of the last chapter._

_Polis Massa_

"Medically, she's completely healthy," the med droid said with a wave of his mechanical arms. "For reasons, we can't explain, we are losing her."

"She's dying?" Obi-Wan Kenobi demanded incredulously.

"We don't know why. She has lost the will to live," the droid replied. "We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies."

"Babies?!" Bail Organa asked in amazement.

"She's carrying twins," the med droid explained.

Obi-Wan ran a weary hand over his mouth. First Anakin was lost to the Dark Side and the lava, and now Padme was dying? It was too much to bear.

"Who is that?" Bail demanded suddenly.

Kenobi's head jerked up in astonishment. The slight form of a female human now stood next to the prone figure of Padme Amidala on her medical bed.

"What in all the galaxies?" he cried out, rushing into the med room at the heels of Master Yoda and Bail Organa.

"Who are you?" Bail demanded harshly even as he yanked out a blaster. Given the death of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, and the slaughter of the Jedi, he couldn't take any chances about his dear friend Padme. Perhaps this woman was an assassin?

The lovely, dark haired woman lifted her gaze from Padme and she shook her head in disbelief, "Not again!"

Bail Organa blinked stupidly, "What?"

"I'm sorry," Leia apologized wearily. "I'm just bewildered as to why I'm back here again. Bail Organa, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Yoda, it is good to see you again. Not that you know me, of course, but I know you."

Her three conscious companions wore similar expressions of confusion and even stupidity and she continued with a sigh, "Again, I'm sorry. I'm being obscure. My name is Leia, I am the daughter of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker, and I am from 30 years in the future. The Force keeps tossing me back in time to help timelines along, to give them a push where it's needed. I'm one of the twins hanging out in Padme's womb right now."

"Time travel impossible it is," Yoda commented disapprovingly.

"Everyone always says that," Leia retorted. "I've done it many times and I've been in this particular scenario before, of saving our mother, but Luke was with me that time."

"Luke?"

"My twin," the slight brunette answered with a glance at the pulsing mound of babies.

She shook her head now, "I am not sure I have the power to save her alone. Breaking the bond was relatively easy when we were working together, but Luke is better trained than I am."

"How did you save her?" Bail demanded urgently.

"We broke the bond between her and Vader. Palpatine is using her life force to sustain Vader's life."

Obi-Wan's eyes were wide in confusion, "Vader is dead!"

"No," Leia explained sympathetically, her hands stroking her mother's pale forehead. "No, he's not. You left him burning on Mustafar but Palpatine rushed to his side and dragged him back to Coruscant, we think. In our timeline, he was placed in life support suit with like 100% burn injury and then spent the next 2+ decades murdering people and wreaking havoc before he turned back to the Light."

Obi-Wan felt something dripping down his chin and realized, abstractly, that he was drooling in shock. Vader/Anakin still alive? 100% burns? Returned from the ...

"Not possible to turn back from the Dark Side, it is," Yoda argued.

Leia kept her eyes on Padme's face even as she stretched out in search of the bond through which Sidious was draining away her life.

"You wouldn't think a maniac like Vader could do it," she agreed abstractly, "but he did. In our original timeline and during a few of our jaunts. But enough of that. Please be quiet so I can work on breaking the bond."

_/_

_Palpatine's Private Medical Ward_

_Coruscant_

Sheev Palpatine, the newly crowned Emperor of the galaxy, was _exhausted._

It had taken many, many years of manipulation to turn Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. It had taken even more years of plotting and scheming to engineer a galactic war, plot the destruction of the Republic, and blame the Jedi Order for it all. He had been swamped.

Briefly, he considered taking a quick nap. After all, if he didn't have his health, he didn't have anything. But ...

But Darth Vader had been mostly dead for hours. And for all that the former Anakin Skywalker had been a complete _moron _to lose a fight to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sidious still needed him. So no, he couldn't take a nap.

The cloaked Sith Lord leaned forward slightly as the strength continued to flow from Padme Amidala, wherever she was, to the burned near corpse lying on the med table before him. Darth Vader hovered between life and death, with his continued existence depending on the fading vitality of his lovely and thoroughly annoying wife.

There was a sudden jolt in the Force and Sidious managed to turn around just in time for a green lightsaber blade to plunge through his chest. As he gasped his last breath, he noted that the young man who had appeared so suddenly looked a great deal like Anakin Skywalker ...

Luke pulled his saber back and stepped over Palpatine's smoking corpse. The med droids, being single minded in their purpose, were still laboring over the horrifically burned body of Darth Vader, formerly Anakin Skywalker.

"Oh Father," Luke murmured aloud, leaning over to gaze into the man's horribly seared face. The man was unconscious, thankfully. Luke shuddered to imagine how much pain his father had endured both on Mustafar and after he regained consciousness.

His movements caused one of the med droids focus him with one irritable eye.

"You are not a doctor," the droid agreed, "Nor are you his Royal Highness. I must, therefore, demand that you leave the room immediately."

"I am his son," Luke replied firmly. "Therefore, as a family member, I insist on remaining."

The droid cocked its head slightly, "According to my records, the patient does not have a son."

"You can do a genetic test if you like," Luke murmured soothingly, even as he sidled closer to his father. Vader/Anakin was in terrible shape, and he would die if Luke didn't intervene.

So he did. Luke Skywalker was an incredibly powerful Force Sensitive, a well trained Force Sensitive, and a Force Sensitive who truly loved his complicated, incredibly screwed up, currently evil father. He poured that love and power into the form lying before him, and deep inside the body of Darth Vader, healing began.

Darth Vader awoke in agony, his lungs struggling to bring oxygen into his broken body. He opened his eyes in confusion and terror. Where was he? Where was _she_?

"Where is Padme? Is she safe? Is she all right?" he rasped through swollen lips.

Luke's eyes teared up.

"Yes, she is all right. She is safe," he assured Anakin Skywalker.

/

"It's a girl," Obi-Wan told the groaning woman.

"Leia," Padme cried out. Yoda and Bail, who had retreated outside the delivery room, glanced at one another.

"Told the truth she did," Yoda stated. "Never heard of time travel have I, but her daughter she is.

"Everything is going to be all right," older Leia said to her mother.

(Because of course, infant Leia wasn't able to talk. Yet.)

Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker turned her face towards the feminine form next to her. She didn't know who this woman was, but she instinctively felt that she could trust her, whoever she was.

"Here, sit up a little bit," Leia coaxed, manipulating the bed to raise her mother's upper body. "Obi-Wan, I think since Padme has had such a hard time, you should get the babies checked to ensure their body temperature is sufficient and that their oxygen levels are high enough. They'll be Ok for a short time before you feed them."

She looked down on Padme curiously, "Do you wish to nurse them?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Padme replied. "I'm so tired, though ..."

"I gave birth to twins of my own a year ago," Leia said fondly. "I wanted to nurse them immediately but I was totally wrecked, so it was a couple of hours before I could wake up enough to try. They'll be Ok if you take a short nap."

"Thank you," Padme replied, and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep immediately. Leia called a few blankets into her hands and carefully covered her mother up.

Bail Organa and Yoda entered the room cautiously.

"Is she going to be all right?" Bail asked softly.

"Yes," Leia assured him. "I was able to break the bond between Padme and Vader, though it was a lot easier this time. I am quite certain the Emperor is dead."

"Dead?" Bail demanded incredulously.

"Right she is," Yoda commented solemnly. "Darkness diminished it has. What happened I know not."

"I suspect," Leia murmured wryly, "that my brother happened."

/

_ Polis Massa_

_8 hours later_

"And Luke has conked out again," Padme said with a sigh.

"Totally normal," Leia pronounced. "My twins were almost full term and they still struggled to stay awake long enough to eat. All they wanted to do was sleep!"

"So I know I've been putting this off because I was so tired, and then learning to nurse the babies, and everything, but who are you?" Padme inquired softly.

Leia smiled a little, "You won't believe it."

"Try me."

"I'm your daughter Leia from 30 years in the future."

Padme stared straight into the woman's face, looking for a telltale smirk or grin or something. She was extremely adept at reading faces.

The woman looked completely rational and sincere.

"You can't be serious."

"I am totally serious," Leia murmured, reaching out a hand to stroke the bald head of her young self. "I'm this baby in thirty years, except not this baby exactly because we totally changed the timeline. In our timeline, you died in childbirth."

Padme flinched in horror and her eyes filled with hormonal tears, "I truly thought I was dying when I got here. I don't understand what happened."

Leia hesitated, then decided on the truth, "Palpatine, who is a Sith Lord, was draining your life force to sustain Vader's."

"Vader?"

Her Alter daughter grimaced and nodded, "You know him as your husband, Anakin Skywalker. He was given the title Darth Vader when he pledged himself to the Dark Side."

Padme's hands were full of babies so she couldn't wipe away her tears, and Leia leaned over and tenderly ran a soft cloth across her mother's face.

"You are allowed to cry," Leia said softly. "What happened with our father was a tragedy."

"Is he ... is he dead?"

"I don't think so," Leia said in a reassuring tone. "I think my twin brother Luke was tossed to wherever this version of our father was taken by Palpatine. The Emperor is dead, probably at my brother's hand, and I would guess Luke saved Vader."

The door slid open and Obi-Wan Kenobi rushed in, only to stop in complete horror at the sight of Padme Skywalker breastfeeding her babies.

"I'm so sorry," he gulped, lowering his eyes to the floor. "Er, Leia, a ship just came out of hyperspace and ..."

"And it's my brother," Leia finished excited, rising to her feet. She frowned slightly, reaching out with the Force. "He has Vader with him."

"I will tell Master Yoda to meet us at the landing platform. Vader is dangerous."

Leia rolled her eyes even as she dragged Kenobi out into the hallway, away from Padme's hearing.

"May I remind you that you left him to burn in a lava field," she hissed softly. "He's a mess. By all means be there in case he lashes out, but don't pull a lightsaber on him. He doesn't even have any arms right now."

Kenobi flinched.

/

_Author Note: Ok, I will stop here. I will write another chapter in this timeline. _


	24. Chapter 24

_Intensive Care Room_

_Polis Massa_

_8 hours later_

Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker stroked her baby son's bald little head, "Hey, wake up, little guy. You need to eat a little bit more."

Luke slumbered on determinedly, his little eyes screwed up against any attempts to wake him.

Padme looked up helplessly at the older version of her daughter, who smiled sympathetically. "Don't worry about it. He had a good feeding 2 and a half hour ago. He's just worn out. Busy day."

"Indeed it has been," the Senator from Naboo said with a deep sigh, even as she cast a loving glance at her baby daughter, who was wrapped up securely in the arms of Older Leia.

"Padme."

Padme jerked in surprise and turned toward the med bed where her horribly burned husband was lying in a cocoon of technology.

"Anakin?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Padme."

Older Luke reached out to the baby in his Alter mother's arms and said, "You should get up, Mom. Let him know you are truly Ok."

Padme relinquished her precious burden and rose shakily to her feet. Luke offered his other arm to her and she clutched it, more for emotional than physical support. These last few days had been completely overwhelming with the ascension of Palpatine to Emperor, the death of the Republic, her husband's fall to the Dark Side and subsequent attack on both the Jedi younglings and herself, Palpatine's death, and finally Anakin's return in a nearly dead condition.

"Ani?" she whispered softly.

The blue eyes were open and widened at the sight of her, "Padme ... Ok?"

"Yes, I'm Ok, Ani," she replied tenderly. She was really angry at him right now but she also loved the man. Given that he was in critical condition, she'd wait on reaming him out.

"Sorry, Padme. So sorry."

His burned face, covered with a mask pushing oxygen into his damaged lungs, scrunched as if he was going to cry. But he didn't.

Because, she realized with reeling horror, he probably couldn't. His tear ducts were almost certainly damaged since everything else was. She wondered if he could truly even see her.

"I am sorry too, Anakin," she replied softly. She wouldn't yell at him, but she needed time to process what had happened before offering quick forgiveness.

"Baby?" Anakin whispered.

"The babies are fine," Padme replied, her own eyes filled with tears which spilled out onto her cheeks. "We had twins."

There was more agonized wrinkling of the burned face, "Twins?"

"A boy and a girl, Ani. I named them Luke and Leia."

"Babies ... babies ..."

"He's getting worn out," Older Luke murmured. "I think you'd better let him stop talking."

"We're fine, Anakin," Padme finished. "Don't talk anymore. Just rest and heal."

/

_Next door to med suite_

"Murdered younglings he did!" Yoda said.

"He'll have to stand trial," Kenobi continued wearily.

"Under whose authority?" Leia demanded irritably.

There was a dreadful pause as the males in the room exchanged glances.

"The Republic ..." Bail Organa began doubtfully.

"Is dead," Leia finished harshly. "The Jedi Order, as you know it, is dead. We didn't stop Order 66 in this timeline so I'm afraid most of the Jedi have been slaughtered."

"Order 66?" Bail asked in confusion.

"It's what made the clones turn on the Jedi," Leia explained gravely, glancing through the transparisteel window where her brother was hovering over Darth Vader's still form. Luke was, she knew, bonded closely to their Alter father and was using his considerable expertise in Force healing to help the man not just live, but heal.

A little. Leia had known that her biological sire had been badly injured but this ... this was beyond belief. It was incredible that he had survived the fiery flows of Mustafar.

"The clones have a chip in their heads with numerous commands imprinted. One was Order 66, which allowed the leader of the Republic to order the destruction of the Jedi," she explained.

"Missed this how did we?" Yoda murmured sadly.

"Nevertheless, we must do something with ... about Anakin," Kenobi insisted.

Leia took a menacing step closer to the red headed Jedi and lifted a delicate finger to prod him in the chest, "Yes, Master Kenobi, why don't you do something about Anakin? Why don't you realize how much the Jedi Order in general, and you in particular, are responsible for this disaster? You and your precious cronies yanked him from his mother and left her in slavery. Then when he had visions of his mother dying in agony, you disregarded them, which ended in her murder. Over and over, you idiots have mouthed the stupid Jedi code that attachment is dangerous, with the result that when our father had visions of Padme dying in childbirth, he didn't come to you!"

"Come to me he did," Yoda admitted, his ears drooping.

"I know," Leia said, taking a deep, calming breaths. "I know Anakin didn't tell you he was envisioning his wife dying since he couldn't admit to having a wife, but still, you didn't support him when he was clearly distressed. On top of all that, you left him to the virulent and manipulative ministrations of the galaxy's local, incredibly powerful Sith Lord since you let Palpatine have unfettered access to Anakin from a young age! His turn to the Dark Side is on him, but you and your stupidity were a big part of why he Fell."

Obi-Wan Kenobi was startled to discover that he had backed against a wall and was cowering under the fierce gaze of this woman from another timeline. He had thought Padme was intimidating; her daughter Leia was downright _scary._

"Right she is," Yoda mumbled sadly. "Failed, we have."

"What do you think we should do about Anakin Skywalker?" Bail asked softly.

Leia let herself relax slightly. For all that Yoda and Kenobi had their annoying characteristics, they were at least reasonable sentients.

"Give Anakin, or Vader, some time," the woman suggested. "This is a new scenario for us. We've never interacted with Vader so soon after his Fall. Given that Palpatine is dead at Luke's hands, the bond between Master Sith and Apprentice is broken. Even in my timeline, Vader did come back to the Light. He killed Palpatine to save Luke's life. I think there is hope for him, especially since Padme is alive and the twins are too."

Yoda shook his head, "Never trust him as a Jedi we can again."

"Oh, he should _so_ not be a Jedi," Leia agreed with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Indeed, I can't imagine he would want to be part of the Order which stupidly rejects reasonable and healthy emotional attachments ..."

"Attachment, his Fall it caused!" Yoda yelped in frustration.

"No, Master Yoda," Leia riposted, dropping to one knee to glare into the old gnome's face. "No. Attachment and love between a husband and a wife, between a brother and a sister, between comrades in arms, they are natural and healthy. Luke and I were both raised in loving homes with adoptive parents who adored us, and I really believe we are more emotionally stable than, say, Ahsoka Tano, who is awesome but a little weird from being whisked off to the Temple at a young age."

"Ahsoka is alive in your time?" Obi-Wan cried out with delight.

"Jedi attached for generations they have not!" Yoda said indignantly.

"Who raised you?" Bail Organa asked curiously.

"Yes, Ahsoka is alive. The Jedi were stupid in that area. Luke was raised by extended family and I ... I was raised by you ... Father."

Bail stared at the young woman, who now was teary.

"Me?"

"And Breha," Leia continued with a shaky smile. "Yes. You were wonderful parents and I learned so much from you. More than that, I was enveloped in your love. I'm incredibly grateful."

"In your timeline, are we ...?"

"Dead, yes," the woman explained sadly. "Palpatine ordered the construction of an armored space station with the ability to destroy planets. Alderaan was obliterated by the Death Star's superlaser before Luke was able to blow it up."

Bail actually wobbled slightly in distress, "Alderaan was destroyed?"

"In my timeline. It won't happen this time," she assured him.

The door slid open and Padme entered, looking exhausted.

"Here, let me take a baby," Leia said quickly, grabbing baby Luke. "Obi-Wan, take Luke."

The Jedi stared in horror at the small bundle thrust in his direction, "Er ..."

"Sit down and just hold him," Leia said in frustration. "It's not that hard. Just don't cover his face and nose and keep him tipped up a little."

She grabbed Baby Leia from her mother and pushed Padme firmly into a chair, "How is, um, Anakin doing?"

"Better," Padme explained wearily. "Your brother is clearly doing miracles. The med droids can't explain why or how Anakin's lung function and circulation is improving. Of course, they are also working with more traditional methods on his burned skin and other damaged organs ..."

Here she shot a furious look at Kenobi, who had clumsily adjusted Luke into a reasonably competent position, "I can't believe you left him to burn, Obi-Wan."

The Jedi lifted teary eyes now and his face was ashen,"I thought he was dead, Padme. He attacked you, I begged him to turn back, he attacked me, and I ... I was sure ..."

"I know," Padme finished, waving a hand. "The whole thing is a disaster. I think Anakin will live, but then what? He murdered children."

"While totally sleep deprived, terrified for your well-being, and with a unknown Force Bond to an undercover Sith Lord," Leia said flatly. "I'll be honest that in my timeline, I hated Darth Vader. He was a horribly, bad, evil, cruel man. But I've also met Anakin Skywalker and he was a good, if conflicted and somewhat immature, man. I am not telling you what to do, but what happened was not done in a space vacuum."

Padme turned back to the window through which her horrifically burned husband was slumbering.

"I know," she murmured softly.

/

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_4 years later_

Anakin Skywalker lay on the beach of the little island in the middle of the lake. Two hundred meters away, across the channel, Varykino crouched beautifully among the flora of this gorgeous place.

There was a gentle surge in the Force and Anakin propped himself on one elbow as his wife waded into the water near Varykino and then began swimming briskly toward him. He rolled to his feet in mild concern, prepared to leap in after her if she had any trouble.

Of course she didn't. She was an amazing swimming.

"Ani," she panted once she had reached the island.

"Hello, my darling," he replied, rising to his feet and drawing her into his arms. "I'm sorry I didn't wait for you. I thought you were busy talking politics with the Organas this morning."

Padme smiled and flopped onto the beach, letting her body sink into the soft sand.

"We had a very productive meeting," she murmured with her eyes shut. "Then the twins woke up from their nap and wanted to play with Winter and the Organas and my folks and my sister and a couple of droids agreed to watch them all, so I snuck off to be with you."

Anakin leaned over and kissed her, "I'm glad."

"I'm glad too," Padme murmured with a yawn. "I love politics, I do, but we've had a heavy load lately. I really appreciate you caring for the twins so well. It makes it much easier when I know they are happy and guarded. I mean, given how crazy they are, they kind of need a Force Sensitive daddy."

"You know I love it," Anakin stated. And he did. His horrifying descent into the Dark Side of the Force was a nasty but thankfully distant memory. When he arose from his bed of pain, permanently scarred but with decently functioning organs, he had decided he was done with the Jedi and the Sith.

He would do what Padme had suggested (pleaded, really); he had gone away with her and the babies and retreated to Varykino.

He was, he knew, too unstable to be living an extremely stressful life. Far better to raise his children wisely and lovingly than go Rythen crackers again. Besides, while the New Republic had given him amnesty for his crimes, the sad reality was that he had murdered children. (Some nights, his dreams were haunted with their terrified faces just before he cut them down. It was part of his penance that he would be reminded frequently of his horrific crimes.)

He was not worthy to be a warrior for good. He would stay here and support his wife and love his children.

"Mmmmm," Padme muttered, "it's so peaceful here, though there is a lot of sand."

Anakin nodded and leaned over, planting a kiss on his wife's lips before lying back down.

"I love sand," he murmured. "It's warm, and soft, and comes off in the water."

_Author Note: Ladies and gents, I am so excited! I actually (self) published a book on Amazon (including Kindle Unlimited) called "I am Jael", a Pride and Prejudice variation. The Star Wars fandom seriously gets a lot of credit; I learned so much about writing these last few years from you all. So thank you thank you thank you for reading my work, and reviewing, and commenting. I know I've improved thanks to you all! Stay safe. So much going on these days. And thanks to my wonderful husband for his encouragement and his story editing! _


	25. Chapter 25

_Author Note: Sorry for the long delay. I jitterbugged over to the Pride and Prejudice fandom and was working on another story there, which was just published on Amazon – The Blind Will See, check it out! It's on Kindle Unlimited too, so if you have KU, you can read it for free. But of course _Luke and Leia's Excellent Adventure_ has a soft spot in my heart. So here we go. This one was inspired by Mercy Medical Angel, who gave me this idea._

_/_

_Main Living Space_

_Concealed Freighter_

_Jundland Wastes_

_Tatooine_

_6 months after the birth of the Empire_

"It really is too dangerous, Skyguy."

"Dangerous, Snips, dangerous?" Darth Vader hissed through his vocoder. "We can't wait any longer! The older my child is, the more likely Yoda will sink his mental claws into him. I will die rather than let that happen!"

"Tano is right, my friend," Sheev Palpatine said with a sad shake of his head. "The Jedi Temple complex is huge."

"Both Ahsoka and I lived years of our lives there," Vader argued.

"Yes, and since we fled Coruscant six months ago, we have no idea what is happening within its walls. One small baby, with his or her small mother, could be almost anywhere. Indeed, I fear that Padme may have been permitted to reach out to you to draw you in, as a trap to capture and kill you."

Darth Vader lifted his cyborg hands in distress just as there was a strong surge in the Force behind him. He spun around, his blue lightsaber lighting up, even as Tano lit her twin white blades and Sheev Palpatine's green blade slid into position between the cyborg and the Togruta.

Facing them, eyes wide in confusion, were a young man and woman of approximately 30 years of age. The man was short and had dark blond hair, the woman was petite and had long dark hair, thrown up in a tight bun. Both wore lightsabers on their belts and they stared at the threesome, who stared back.

"Who are you?" Vader demanded harshly. "How did you get on board this ship?"

"Um," the man replied, his eyes fixed on the giant's blue lightsaber, "what happened to your lightsaber?'

The Sith looked down in confusion, "I do not take your meaning. And I ask again, who are you?"

"Your lightsaber should be red, not blue," the dark haired girl said in an accusing tone, "and why is Ahsoka with you?"

"Um, do we know each other?" Tano demanded.

"What do you mean my saber should be red?" Vader inquired in a tone which was clearly offended through the vocoder. "What do you think we are? Some kind of Jedi Bright Siders?"

Luke and Leia exchanged totally bewildered glances.

"Bright Siders?" Luke asked warily.

"Yes, of the Bright Side," Palpatine explained, his blue eyes curious. "They have red sabers because the stones have been corrupted by the power of the Bright Side."

"I think this timeline is a real doozy," Luke commented to his sister.

"No kidding," his sister replied, then turned to face her cyborg alter father. "I think we should probably start with some introductions. I'm Leia and he is Luke. We are twin Force Sensitives from the future. The Force keeps tossing us into timelines where we are needed to sort things out. You look young, Ahsoka, so I'm guessing we're from 30 years in the future or so."

"You know us, then?" Vader demanded.

"Um, yes, from a certain point of view," Luke agreed.

"Why, then, did you question the color of my blade? Only the Bright Siders have red blades."

"So what do you call yourselves?"

"Black Siders, of course," Palpatine snapped.

Leia ran a weary hand across her brow, "Ok, the first rule of diplomacy is to make sure we understand terminology. When you say 'Black Sider' what do you mean?"

"That is obvious," Vader replied in an irritated voice. "Black is the peace of a dark cave away from the desert heat, the gentle calm of deep space. The Bright Siders embrace the chaotic maelstrom of the Force, like the heart of Tatoo 1, like the explosive power of a proton bomb. They revel in destruction and violence."

Luke stared at his father blankly for a long moment and then shook his head, "Wow, that is really weird. Ok. So you are saying that you are the good guys and the Bright Siders are the bad guys."

"Of course," Vader replied, his great hands fisting in distress. "Ever since Yoda ascended to the throne as Emperor, the Jedi have ruled the galaxy with an iron elbow."

Leia squawked aloud in shock, "Emperor Yoda?"

"Yes," Palpatine stated grimly.

"Yoda, as in the Jedi Grandmaster, really short, green, with elf ears? That Yoda?"

"Yes," Vader suspiciously. "You clearly know him?"

"Um, yes," Luke agreed, clearing his throat. "So they are the Jedi and you are the ... Sith?"

"Yes," Palpatine said impatiently. "I sense that you are also Black Siders so I am being patient with your presence here, but Tano, Vader and I need an explanation now. Also, would you like some blue milk?"

Luke reached out carefully and respectfully in the Force. The threesome were indeed Light Siders, or Black Siders in this timeline.

He blew out a slow breath and, with mental encouragement from Leia, spoke openly, "Yes, we would love some blue milk. And as for our presence here, well, Leia and I are your twin children, Vader. From the future, as we said."

The Sith cyborg gasped in shock, "Twins?" 

"Yes," Leia explained patiently, "twins. It was a huge shock in our timeline as well. For reasons that still boggle the mind, you, the most powerful Force Sensitive of your generation, didn't do a thirty second scan to make sure that there was only one baby in there."

"Padme would have killed me," her father said dramatically.

"Plus you shield like a master, and always have," Luke reminded his sister. "Ok, so you are in the life support suit so that means, Mustafar?"

"Yes," Tano explained sadly. "Your father – really, to say that just blows my mind – I still cannot believe you married the Senator on the sly and had babies, Skyguy!"

"I did not know that there were two of them," her master replied, his tone stunned through the vocoder.

"So yes, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master who trained Ana ... who trained Vader, turned to the Bright Side along with almost all the Jedi. He kidnapped Padme and took her to Mustafar and kept her locked in his ship while he slaughtered the Separatist leaders who had been working for Yoda all along. Vader, being a dork, ran off alone to try to save her and he and Kenobi fought, and tragically ..."

"I lost," Vader finished sadly. "He chopped off my three remaining limbs and left me to burn in the lava flows of Mustafar. Darth Sidious arrived in time to save my life, and swept me off to a nearby medical facility where I was placed in this life support suit."

Luke, whose brain was working rapidly to keep up with the bizarre vagaries of this timeline, took a step forward and inspected his father's cyborg body, "It looks better than the suit in my timeline. You aren't quite as ridiculously tall, for one thing."

"It stinks," his father replied gloomily. "But it is what it is. None of the three of us are adept at Sith Black Side healing, unfortunately."

"Luke and I actually have some mad skills in that area," Leia explained with a quick glance at her brother. "But before we go any further, how long have the Jedi been evil? In our timeline, they were, er, Black Siders!"

Ahsoka groaned and ran her hands down her montrals, "For over a thousand generations, the Jedi were guardians of peace and justice in the Old  
Republic. Before the bright times. Before the Empire. Before Emperor Yoda."

"Yeah, talk to me about Yoda and his iron elbow, will you?" Luke requested.

Palpatine, who had been working in the ship's small galley kitchen, approached with two glasses of cold blue milk.

"Here you go, please do drink up," the old man encouraged graciously. "The climate here, even within the ship, is apt to be somewhat hot and dry."

"Where are we?" Leia inquired looking around at the bland walls.

"Tatooine," Luke and Vader said simultaneously. Luke chuckled and continued, "I can always tell. There is just that nasty, really hot, no humidity feeling to the place."

"Ok ...," his sister replied. "Yoda?"

Sheev Palpatine groaned aloud and sat down wearily on a seat next to a dejarik board, "It was truly bizarre and tragic. Yoda is very old, hundreds of years old, in our timeline."

"Also in ours."

"So his past is shrouded in mystery. He was part of the Jedi Order for centuries and, as you said, rose to the position of Jedi Grandmaster. Vader and Ahsoka and I are uncertain of exactly what he is, or how it happened, but he has created something of a hive mind."

"A hive mind," Luke repeated, his eyes flaring wide in horror.

"Yes," his father agreed, his blue eyes blazing in anguish. "For at least three hundred years, Yoda taught the younglings in the Temple and it is obvious that he managed to form powerful bonds with every one of them. When he gave Order 55, he also triggered the hive mind. The Jedi are no longer independent sentients; they are all under his control and power."

"Order 55?" Leia demanded

"How did you escape this hive mind?" Luke inquired a moment later.

"Order 55 was an order embedded in the clones, forcing them to turn on the Republican Senators and other proponents of democracy. They were slaughtered by the hundreds."

"What about Bail Organa?" Leia demanded, dread in her tone.

"He escaped with my help," Sidious explained gravely. "He and his wife Breha are in hiding, and Alderaan is ruled by a flunky who literally grovels at the Emperor's feet, given the chance."

"As to how we escaped the hive mind," Ahoska explained, "I was saved because of my own bond with Skyguy here. He was brought to the Temple later in life so Yoda wasn't able to form as strong a bond ..."

"No doubt that is why the old elf did not wish to accept me into the Order," Vader grumbled.

"Absolutely," Tano agreed. "Anyway, when the Emperor triggered the hive mind, Vader was able to shake it off and pull me away too. As for Palpatine, well, he was an undercover Force user."

"Why?" Luke asked bluntly.

"The Sith who taught me, Darth Plagueis the Wise, had a series of dreams and visions concerning the fall of the Jedi to the power of an evil Master. He recruited me as a teenager and taught me to shield my abilities. Tragically, my master was murdered one night – I suspect by Yoda himself – but I managed to evade the notice of the Jedi. I rose to position of Chancellor of the Old Republic, but I was unable to determine the nature of Yoda's master plan until it was too late. He was working both for and against the Republic by directing the Separatists. The war gave the Jedi Order additional powers and only six months ago, he seized power as Emperor. He would have killed me except that he was unaware of my own considerable skills. We fought in the Senatorial Chamber and I managed to escape with my life, taking Bail Organa with me."

"Does he use Force Lightning?" Luke demanded.

Palpatine shuddered openly, "Yes. A true transgression to the Force itself."

Luke shook his head at this and turned to his father, "Tell me about Obi-Wan, Father."

"He was my brother, and I loved him," the cyborg stated sadly. "But he is more bee now than man, twisted and evil."

"Bee?" his Alter son inquired in confusion

"Like part of a bee colony, I think," Leia explained helpfully.

"Ok. So this hive mind thing – it is controlled by, and emanates from, Yoda?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Sidious agreed.

"So if we killed Yoda ..."

"If we could, I believe the galaxy would largely right itself," Vader agreed. "It will not be easy. We have limited information about Coruscant, now called Imperial City of all things, but the Emperor has hidden himself away, surrounding himself by other Jedi who are sworn to protect him at the cost of their own lives."

"Plus, he is so small he could probably just crawl into random duct work if under attack," Tano muttered irritably.

"What about ... about our mother?" Leia asked softly.

"She managed to escape custody long enough to send me a message," Vader said, the anguish in his voice palpable even through the vocoder. "She said 'we' were being held in the Jedi Temple itself, and she begged me to come to the rescue. I assumed she meant our child still lived, but now I can only hope that both children are alive."

"They are," Sidious stated grimly. "Yoda would be a fool to destroy twin children of the Skywalker bloodline."

"We have to get them out!" Vader cried in frustration. "The longer we wait ..."

"We were certainly sent here by the Force to help with this," Luke interrupted firmly. "Neither Leia nor I have formed a bond with this version of Yoda, and we are very powerful in the Force. I am sure we can manage something."

/

_Author Note: I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did writing it. "He's more bee now than man, twisted and evil". I crack myself up! Many thanks to my faithful editor and husband who been editing for me with great diligence. And many thanks to those of you who have read my writing, encouraged me, pointed out mistakes, etc. I am now officially a vaguely successful, professional author as my first book, _I am Jael_, has done quite well. Frankly, I am like a tired mother in a dark chocolate and coffee shop about the whole thing. You guys rock!_


	26. Chapter 26

_Basement_

_Imperial Palace_

_Imperial City_

_Imperial Center_

_One week later_

Genesis 24 leaned back in its tub of viscous medicinal mud. Its skin was changing by the day, from incredibly rough and wrinkled and pasty white to smooth and dark skinned. Four of its limbs had acquired nearly a human shape, while the others were shriveling away. It had decided on a male human form because humans were so widely accepted across the galaxy, and had chosen to model itself after the Jedi Mace Windu, who was the most handsome of the Order. There was no reason that it shouldn't look good!

Of course, Emperor Yoda was nominally the most powerful creature in the galaxy, but he was remarkably odd. It was best to blend in with the populace. Not to mention that being really short could be tedious at times, or at least so Yoda thought.

For at least the ten thousandth time, Genesis 24 thanked the Bright Stars that it had found the Child when it had. The former Genesi had found other powerful beings to use, but Yoda had proven the best of them all – long of life, powerful in the Force, easily controlled once the bond was fully formed.

It would not be long before Genesis 24 had succeeded in doing what none of its forebears had done; taking over the galaxy as its rightful ruler. The damage from the years before the Child was so great that it had taken many centuries to repair most of the injuries. But if there was anything it was, it was patient. The last six months had proven glorious beyond belief, as Yoda's power had joined with that of the Jedi, providing Bright power which infused his body with healing strength.

It would not be long now, not long at all.

/

"My leige, your crown is crooked. May I have the honor of adjusting it?"

Emperor Yoda nodded imperiously, "You may, Master Kenobi."

He could, of course, have adjusted it himself using the Force, but he enjoyed being served in this way, as it had always been meant to be.

The auburn haired Jedi with the blazing yellow eyes mounted the dais and carefully, with slow movements, adjusted the circlet of aurodium on his green master's head.

"Thank you," Yoda replied graciously, waving a careless hand. Kenobi backed slowly away, lowered his head submissively, and retreated to his position along the wall.

"Describe you must the search for Palpatine and Skywalker, Windu," the Emperor ordered.

Mace Windu rose to his feet and turned to face the other members of the Emperor's Council, "Masters, we are currently disseminating the images of Palpatine throughout the galaxy. Skywalker, regrettably, has an unknown appearance after the loss of his limbs and normal features to Master Kenobi, but ..."

Emperor Yoda leaned back in his throne and allowed himself to lose track of the conversation. This business of hunting through the galaxy for vagrant Black Siders was important, but he could safely delegate it to his Council. They were, after all, a competent group of individuals and their sole goal and responsibility in life was to serve him.

He was aware of a sudden surge of deep satisfaction. He did not remember the first one hundred years of his life, and very little of the second hundred, but for nearly half a millennia now he had been quite certain of one thing – he was born to rule. It had taken much time and effort and sneakiness and manipulation but at last he was where he was meant to be – the reigning majesty of the Empire.

Indeed, all of the galaxy existed to serve him.

"Your root stew has arrived, your Highness," Mace Windu announced.

"Here bring it you must!" Yoda cackled. "And mine it is, all mine!"

"Of course, your Highness," Kit Fisto replied with a meek bow, even as he suppressed a relieved sigh. His Royal Eminence's root stew was, perhaps, the most disgusting food in the galaxy.

The door to the Emperor's Throne Room opened and a hovercart was pushed in by two young humans, dressed in the livery of Emperor Yoda – white robes decorated with images of blazer bombs exploding.

Both young people pushed the cart close to the throne before lowering themselves to their knees.

"Your root stew, your Highness," the woman said in a mellifluous voice.

Yoda stretched out an eager hand to the large bowl, which began floating toward him.

A moment later, the entire scalding pot of soup was thrown into his face. He cried out in agony and pain even as, simultaneously, something, _someone_, incredibly strong reached into his very soul and tore the hive bond to shreds.

The Emperor screamed in rage and pain, as the Jedi rose to their feet in shock and distress, their red lightsabers glowing dimly in the bright light of the Emperor's Throne Room.

And then, as Luke and Leia watched them warily, the Jedi, men and aliens alike, paused in wonder and confusion.

Obi-Wan Kenobi shook his head as if waking from a long nightmare, "What ... what is happening?"

"Obi-Wan," Luke said with a mixture of relief and caution. His old master's eyes had shifted to blue, which was a good sign. But six months in a hive mind probably hadn't done Kenobi any favors.

"What is going on?" a dark skinned Jedi interrogated, taking a step closer.

"I'm Leia, he's Luke," Leia explained. "You've been stuck in a hive mind for the last six months, triggered and controlled by Yoda."

"Speaking of," Luke murmured, turning his attention to the small green gnome. He was curled up on the throne, sobbing from being burned by root stew, ranting in fractured Basic, and somehow he was more pathetic than dangerous.

"A hive mind?" the Zabrak Agen Kolar demanded in horrified tone.

"Yes," Leia explained patiently. "Yoda is evil, and he developed strong bonds with all the Jedi younglings, and he triggered a hive mind and took over the galaxy as Emperor six months ago. Don't you remember all that?"

Kenobi and Windu exchanged panicked glances.

"I remember it," Windu murmured aloud. "Somehow it all seemed so right, so good, to provide guidance to the peoples of the galaxy. How could we have gone so wrong?"

"I believe in democracy!" Obi-Wan said in anguish.

"Um ..." Luke suddenly said aloud.

"What?" Leia demanded.

"Yoda is connected to something, or someone else. Someone nearby. There is a very strong Force bond to ... I don't know what it is. I think we need to find him or her or whatever it is and destroy it."

"We will come with you," Kenobi said firmly, his face cold.

"No, you won't," Luke replied just as firmly. "You've been submerged in some weird colony consciousness for the last half year. You shouldn't get near whatever this Thing is."

"Obi-Wan."

The ginger haired Jedi turned and his eyes widened with grief and distress, "Anakin, oh Anakin, I am so sorry!"

Darth Vader strode into the room, his own eyes anguished through the transparent face of his mask. The sight of the burned skin and the oxygen tube into his mouth caused Kenobi to crumple to the floor in a maelstrom of grief and guilt.

Darth Vader had no time and energy to reassure his old master.

"Where is Padme?" he demanded. "Is she safe? Is she all right?"

"Yes, yes," Windu assured the young Sith. "She and your twins are being held in an apartment suite in the basement of the Palace."

"I think the Thing is in the basement too," Luke said quietly. "Let's go deal with it, shall we?"

/

Genesis 24 burbled with rage and frustration. He had been so close, so close! And now the hive mind had been demolished and his control on the Jedi was gone. And Yoda, pathetic Yoda, was a fragmented shell of his former power. What had happened?

The door slid open and three individuals rushed in. Genesis 24 mumbled aloud (his mouth was, regrettably, in a rapid formation stage and was not very functional). All three were powerful Black Siders and he recognized one as Sheev Palpatine, the blasted Sith who had evaded Yoda in the Senatorial chambers six months ago.

"Mmmarrrhhh," he snarled.

"Um, what?" Luke demanded.

"Wow, I know this is rude and I don't want to body shame, but it is ugly," Leia said, her eyes wide with disgust.

"It is very strong in the Bright Side," Sheev Palpatine said gravely.

"It is ancient and so very evil," Luke agreed.

The threesome exchanged thoughtful glances and then, as one, lit their lightsabers. The Thing threw out a pathetic fizzle of Force Lightning but it was too weakened by the demise of the Hive Mind.

It died by being severed into a multitude of random body parts.

/

The twins were screaming and Padme felt like screaming with them. Something had clearly happened; her babies were incredibly sensitive to the vagaries of the Force, which was frustrating since she was, herself, completely Force Blind.

The door to her quarters/prison slid open and she looked up fearfully, only to cry out in joy as Ahsoka Tano rushed into the room.

"Ahsoka!"

"Padme," the Togruta replied, reaching forward with the Force to embrace the little ones in her Black Force presence. Both babies gazed with wide eyes towards the unknown Force user, then at their mother, who was laughing with joy, and stopped screaming.

"Padme."

She turned now and her eyes widened again, this time in horror. No ... no ...

"Anakin?" she quavered, her eyes fixed on the familiar blue eyes set in a scarred face.

"Yes, darling."

"Oh Anakin, what have they done to you?"

Darth Vader stepped forward and wrapped his cyborg limbs gently around his wife and children, "It is all right, Padme. Everything is all right."

/

_Prison Cell_

_Basement of Imperial Palace/Jedi Temple_

_A few hours later_

"Poor thing," Leia murmured sadly.

"Poor thing?" Ahsoka demanded irritably. "He toppled the Republic and crowned himself Emperor! He ordered the murder of thousands, maybe tens of thousands"

Leia Organa Solo stared sadly down at the aged Yoda, who was curled up in a ball in a corner, rocking, with one of his tridactyl fingers stuck in his mouth.

"He's not dangerous anymore," Leia said softly. "Look at him."

Tano sighed even as she nodded, "You are right, of course. It wasn't really him, was it? It was that Thing."

The dark haired woman shuddered, "Yes. I don't think he can even talk now. It's like his mind has been wiped mostly clean."

"I am not sure what we can or should do with him," the Togruta murmured. "I mean, on one hand, he is evil. But on the other hand, we don't know much about his race. Honestly, we know _nothing_ about his race, which probably should have clued someone in at some point that there might be issues, but whatever. If he was just controlled all this time, then he is really innocent."

"Yes," Leia agreed, her eyes faraway. "Listen, my twin asked me to join him. Luke and I are going to do some work on Vader. His lungs are his biggest problem and if we can help with healing those up, that'll accelerate further recovery."

"Poor Anakin. Yes, go ahead. I'll guard the little green ball of misery."

/

_Emperor's Throne Room /Jedi Council Room_

"We should probably execute ourselves," Obi-Wan Kenobi stated gloomily. The Jedi Masters sitting near him all nodded sadly and eyed their lightsabers.

Sheev Palpatine rolled his eyes. Jedi were always so dramatic.

"No, you shouldn't execute yourselves," he said patiently. "You are not responsible. Yoda formed powerful bonds with all of you as younglings, even as that Thing in the basement had already formed an evil bond with him, likely hundreds of years ago. Obviously you need to make some changes in the Order to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again, but committing suicide will not help right the galaxy."

"I cut off three of Anakin's limbs," Kenobi said hoarsely, his blue eyes filled with tears. "I left him to burn. How can I live with that?"

Palpatine winced. He was a powerful Black Side user and an agent of good for the galaxy, but he had never been at his best about psychological issues.

"May I suggest a counselor droid and some plushies?" a new voice inquired.

As one, the members of the Council, plus Darth Sidious, turned to face the older Luke Skywalker.

"They really do help," Luke continued. "I have a rancor plushie back in my time which is a great comfort on difficult days, and you should see my kid's room! There are plushies as far as the eye can see."

"Plushies?" Mace Windu mumbled blankly.

"How is Anakin?" Kenobi demanded.

"He's ... better," Luke replied. "Leia and I did a lot of work on his lungs and he is able to breathe with only a little oxygen assistance. We also managed to get his kidneys and spleen working at least 50% capacity. I think we'll probably be yanked back into our time soon, but with modern medical procedures, with perhaps a little assistance from the Kaminoan clone scientists, he'll be – if not quite as good as new, at least close to fully healed."

Kenobi sagged back in his seat in relief. He had been up the entire previous night, wracked with guilt about his role in taking over the galaxy in general, and in nearly killing Anakin in particular.

"And, my toes are tingling," Luke said suddenly. "That means Leia and I are on our way back to our time. Listen, take it easy on Yoda, Ok? I don't think he was really respons ..."

Luke vanished.

/

_Varykino_

_Naboo_

_3 years later _

"Come on, Yoda, come on!" Leia Skywalker cried out, reaching a hand out toward the small elf who was tottering along behind her on grassy lawn next to the stalisti garden, which was glowing brightly with blooms of red, yellow and orange.

"Waya!" Yoda cried sadly. "Waya!"

"Slow down, darling," Padme encouraged. "His legs are much shorter than yours."

Leia stopped completely, spun around, and jumped affectionately onto her green brother who, instead of being indignant, began cackling happily.

"How are you feeling, Padme?" Anakin asked, sinking down next to her on the high backed wooden bench, which had been placed under a tall and shady Zaela tree.

"Pregnant," she replied wryly, placing a hand on her swollen abdomen. "One baby is easier than two, though, so I am well enough."

Husband and wife turned their attention to their three children – the twins and the ancient but child like Yoda. The threesome were dashing around the lawn now, squealing with excitement and occasionally throwing leaves and small sticks into the air using the Force.

Padme glanced at Anakin, who wore a familiar expression on his face.

"You are checking the bonds?" she asked softly.

He nodded, "He's shifted a little towards Luke, but not to a dangerous extent. He is still bonded strongly to you, me, and the twins."

He shook his relatively healthy, but still bald, head.

"I still feel like we are wandering in the Bright," he complained. "No one really knows if what we are doing will work to keep Yoda emotionally healthy. I feel like this is the best job in the galaxy, to stay here at Varykino with you and the children and Yoda and raise them and do the occasional training session with visiting Black Siders, but I am afraid, sometimes, that we will fail Yoda, not to mention our own kids."

Padme leaned into her husband's body, relishing his strength, "Truly, do not worry, Anakin. I believe that Yoda needs love and affection and yes, discipline. He needs someone who cares for him for who is, not for what they can get from him. We are giving him that. Be at peace, dear one."

Anakin smiled and wrapped his arm around his wife.

"Yes, we can do that," he murmured. "We can love him just as he is."

/

_Author Note: I had a couple of inspirations for this chapter. First is, of course, the _Rise of Skywalker_ and Palpatine's dependence on ... Ren? Rey? Something? I haven't watched the movie because I loathed _The Last Jedi_ so much that I haven't found the time or energy to watch the _Rise of Skywalker_. But I read the synopsis. I was also inspired by the Mandalorian on Disney (spoilers ahead.) The Child (also known as Baby Yoda) is kind of a loose cannon. He bonds with the Mandalorian, which is a fine thing since Mando is a good guy under his gruff exterior. But what if a Yoda Child was found by someone supremely evil? As for Genesis 24 and his ilk, I don't know exactly what they are. Mysterious. Evil. Many thanks to my wonderful husband, who is now dashing between Pride and Prejudice and Star Wars and editing both with aplomb._


	27. Chapter 27

_Watto's Junk Shop_

_Mos Espa_

_Tatooine_

_In the days of the Republic_

Padme Naberrie Amidala, Queen of Naboo, gazed curiously around the junk shop. It was a rather dilapidated place with a variety of wares, mostly ship and droid parts, and the floor was dusty. But then, she supposed most of Tatooine was filled with dust and sand given the great deserts which spread in all directions.

She sighed and pulled her cloak slightly closer to her. She was undercover, pretending to be a handmaiden to the queen as opposed to the queen herself. Sabe, her most loyal handmaiden, was back at the ship in full regalia and makeup pretending to the queen. Such machinations were necessary thanks to threats on Amidala's life, and Padme was enormously grateful to Sabe for being willing to act as a decoy.

Padme glanced toward the door into the junk yard proper. Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn was in search of a hyperdrive module for the queen's ship, which had been damaged from an attack while they were fleeing Naboo. She hoped devoutly that Watto, the Toydarian junk dealer, had the necessary part. She needed to leave Tatooine and get back to Coruscant. Her beloved Naboo was in terrible danger from the Trade Federation. The Republic must send aid!

"Are you an angel?"

Padme turned to gaze at the dark blond boy who was seated on the counter, his blue eyes fixed on her. The shop was empty save for the young boy, Jar Jar Binks and two customers off in a corner; both wore desert robes and were murmuring softly as they stared at a silent droid. Jar Jar, of course, was bumbling around in his usual hideously annoying manner.

"What?" she asked the child

"An angel. I've heard the deep space pilots speak of them …"

Luke Skywalker glanced at his sister and spoke to her through the Force, "_This one is a weird one. That's our mother, definitely, but she looks really young, doesn't she?_"

"_Crazy young. A teenager."_

"You're a slave?"

The twins glanced at their teenage mother, who was gazing at the boy in distress.

"I'm a person and my name is Anakin!" The boy responded angrily.

Leia choked aloud and both Anakin and Padme glanced at her. The princess of Alderaan coughed unconvincingly and turned back toward the droid, shaking slightly.

"That _is Anakin?"_ she hissed through the Force.

"_Apparently so,_" Luke replied, equally shocked. "_He's like, super young!"_

Padme and Anakin were chatting again so Leia shot a hasty look at the childhood version of the man who would become Darth Vader.

"_He is so adorable_," she exclaimed, again through the Force. "_I mean, our own kids are pretty cute but he is just ... squishy!"_

"_Leia, do you realize what is happening?"_ Luke sent back. "_This is the day Padme and Anakin meet!"_

A tall robed man walked into the room followed by a flying Toydarian.

"Give me real credits and we can deal," Watto snapped at the man.

The man nodded, his face calm, and gestured to Padme and the Gungan. They left the store, leaving Luke and Leia standing in a corner trying to look inconspicuous.

"You need sumpin?" Watto demanded. "I got lots, lots and lots, but you gotta have something besides Republic credits."

"I am interested in this droid's head," Luke replied, gesturing at a protocol droid, "but I will need to free up some funds."

"Ok, Ok, come back then!" the flying being roared. "Boy, you finish the racks and then you go home!"

"Yippee!" Anakin cried.

Luke and Leia exchanged shocked glances. Yippee?

/

_Shmi and Anakin Skywalker's hut_

"Can I help you in any way?" Qui-Gon asked courteously.

"Can you pour the water?" Shmi asked, and then added, "Take care not to spill it, sir. Water is life on Tatooine."

"I can do it!" Jar Jar cried out helpfully.

"Not you, Jar Jar – you are as clumsy as an invertebrate in a 3-appendage race," the Jedi ordered, lifting the pitcher and beginning to pour. "I do appreciate your kindness in welcoming us into your home until the sandstorm clears."

"You would not have lasted long," the woman replied, her eyes on the windows against which the sand was beginning to blow. "In the midst of a sandstorm, one loses all sense of time, space and direction."

There was a sudden knock on the door and Shmi looked up with concern while Jinn placed a hand on his lightsaber.

"I will get it," he told Shmi, moving carefully to the door and opening it.

"Hi," the man standing there said, his expression winsome. He was about 30 years of age, not tall, with dark blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a tan robe which seemed typical for Tatooine. Oddly enough, the man's face was vaguely familiar in some way …

"I hate to bother you, but could my sister and I take shelter for just a while? We are not natives of Mos Espa and this storm took us by surprise."

Jinn hesitated and glanced at Shmi, who nodded and surged forward, "Do come in yes, please. Welcome to my home."

"Thank you. I am Luke and this is Leia."

"I am Shmi Skywalker," the woman answered.

"And I am Qui-Gon Jinn," the Jedi replied.

The twins forced themselves not to twitch at this. So this was the famous Qui-Gon Jinn! They had heard of the man but had never crossed his path in their travels through time and space. Of course, they had never gone back this far in time either.

"So," Luke said rather awkwardly, then stopped as Anakin and Padme walked into the room with R2D2 in tow.

"Anakin, we have more guests," Shmi said gently. "Could you please set 2 more plates?"

"So …," Leia began, glancing at Luke.

"Yes, we never know how much time we have," Luke continued with determination. "I know this will be a huge shock, but ... Master Jinn …"

The twins dropped their Force shielding and the Jedi physically staggered back even as his hand clutched his lightsaber.

"Master Jinn, what is it?" Padme cried out, her eyes on the twins. "Who are they?"

Jinn straightened his tall form and glowered at Luke and Leia, "Indeed who are you? You are obviously highly trained Force sensitives, but I have never seen you!"

Luke adjusted his robe to show his own lightsaber and shook his head, "No, you wouldn't, because Leia and I have traveled back in time 45 years."

Their audience froze in shock except for Jar Jar, who fell over a chair with a splat.

"What nonsense is this?" Shmi Skywalker said in a low tone. "Time travel is impossible."

"We used to think that as well," Leia explained wryly, "but we managed it once and now we periodically get hurled through time and space to fix problems in the timelines. We never know how much time we have, so we need to get moving before we are flung back to our own time. So you need a hyperdrive unit?"

"Wait, I recognize you now! You were at the Toydarian's shop!" Padme gasped. "Did you follow us here?"

"Absolutely," Luke admitted. "Look, I know this is really weird but we can help. What's the problem, exactly? What is the queen of Naboo doing wandering around Mos Espa, anyway?"

There was a collective gasp from Anakin, Shmi, and Jinn, and Padme blushed a little, "You are obviously confused. I am Padme, the queen's handmaiden."

Leia rolled her eyes, "Padme, seriously, just give it up. We've met you before, and we know that you are the queen herself. We also know about the whole handmaiden/decoy thing so yeah, just drop the pretense."

Anakin gasped in amazement, "You are a queen?!"

Padme bit her lip but Jinn was staring at her intensely and she drooped a little, "Yes, I am Amidala the queen. There have been attempts on my life so Sabe, my most loyal handmaiden, is currently acting as my decoy."

"Ok, that's reasonable," Luke said briskly. "But let's get back to the hyperdrive. Where are you trying to get to, anyway? I mean, I understand that Tatooine stinks with all the sand …"

"It is rough and coarse and irritating, and it gets everywhere," Shmi agreed with a shudder.

Luke blinked, "Right. So that's where that particular phrase ... anyway, so where are you going?"

"We have to get back to Coruscant," Padme explained passionately. "Naboo is currently under blockade by the Trade Federation. The Senate must send aid! I fear my people will die if the Republic does not help us soon!"

"That is true," Jinn agreed, his brows furrowed.

"Ok, Trade Federation, I admit I'm shaky on that," Luke admitted. "I mean, it's been a while …"

"I am 90% sure that they were a precursor to the Separatists?" Leia mused. "I think?"

"Separatists?" Jinn demanded.

"Yeah, they were on the other side of the Clone Wars, which won't mean a thing to you because it is like … ten years off."

"In the future," Padme said doubtfully.

"Yes, look I hate to keep you from eating. Please, do sit down and eat and drink. You look a bit dehydrated, your Highness."

Shmi glanced around and shrugged slightly, "Yes, let us sit down."

Jinn fetched two more chairs and Leia and Luke settled at the corners of the table. Everyone began eating and drinking slowly, though the focus remained on the time traveling twins.

"So can you help us?" Padme asked after taking a welcome draught of water. "We must get that hyperdrive component!"

Luke frowned, "And the problem is?"

"We don't have any money that Watto will accept," Jinn explained, slowly peeling a pallie. "He claims, and I believe he is telling the truth, that he has the only module in Mos Espa."

"There are other towns," Luke pointed out. "Mos Eisley is some distance from here but has a thriving junk trade, or at least it did in my day."

"There is no time, do you not see!" Padme exclaimed. "We must inform Chancellor Valorum of the situation and if he will not act, we must take steps to replace him. The Republic needs to come to the aid of those planets under attack by the Trade Federation! If Naboo falls, another planet will be next!"

"Ok," Luke said with a sigh. "I understand you're upset but I assure you that the answer is really very simple. Not easy, perhaps, but simple."

"Yes?" Jinn asked skeptically.

Leia leaned forward, "Do you know a man named Sheev Palpatine?"

"Of course!" Padme said. "He is my mentor in many ways, and is currently the senator of Naboo. Indeed, if Valorum proves too weak to do what must be done, Senator Palpatine may well be the best replacement to bring peace to the Republic."

"So he is on Coruscant?" Leia inquired with her brow raised.

"Yes," Jinn said impatiently. "What of it?"

"You want to end this whole Trade Federation conflict and prevent the Clone Wars, well, this is what you need to do," Luke proclaimed.

"Yes?" Jinn demanded.

"You go back to Coruscant. You find Palpatine and you stick a vibroblade into his neck, right into his carotid artery. Then watch him bleed out. End of the conflict."

Luke helped himself to a pallie and took a careful bite as Shmi and Jinn and Padme gazed at him with horror and Anakin looked excited.

"You are saying that Senator Palpatine is responsible for this conflict in some way?" Jinn finally demanded.

"Totally and completely responsible," Leia said drily. "He's a Sith Lord. He is in fact, the senior Sith Lord, Darth Sidious."

Shmi was shaking her head in confusion, "What is a Sith Lord?"

"Dark Side adept," Leia explained. "The Dark Side of the Force, that is, which will mean almost nothing to you."

"Nonsense, nonsense!" Jinn argued. "The Sith have been gone for many hundreds of years! As for Palpatine, we would know if he were a Force Sensitive!"

"You did not know," Luke explained sadly. "You missed it all, the entire Jedi council from Master Yoda on down. Palpatine sat in the middle of the Galactic government — he did become Chancellor in our timeline, you see — and he manipulated and he moved and in 14 years or so, give or take a few months, 99% of the Jedi Knights will be killed and the Republic will fall, and Sheev Palpatine will crown himself Emperor."

Padme found herself on her feet, staggering back a few feet, "This is insane! You are insane! Senator Palpatine is a good man!"

Luke groaned aloud and rose to his feet, "He is not a good man, Padme Naberrie Amidala. He is, in fact, the most evil man in the entire galaxy."

"Why should we believe you?!" she snarled, her hands shaking. "Two crazy people who claim to be from the future. This is impossible! The Jedi have been the guardians of peace and justice for thousands of years. One man, even a powerful one, could never defeat them all."

"Well, he had help," Luke admitted. "There are lots of people who helped him, some willingly, some unwillingly. And he had his apprentices. Master Jinn, have you run across Darth Maul yet?"

"Darth Maul?"

"Zabrak male, red and black face?"

"No …"

"It'll probably be soon that he crosses your path. Eventually he is defeated and then there is Count Dooku, Darth Tyranus …"

"No!" Jinn cried out.

"Yes, indeed," Luke sighed, "but I am afraid that it got worse. After Dooku was defeated, Darth Sidious's next apprentice, about 15 years from now, is Anakin."

All in the room (except for Jar Jar, who had gotten lost on the way to the refresher) turned their gaze on Anakin Skywalker, whose eyes were wide with confusion.

"I don't understand," the boy murmured, quivering in fear.

"This is a heavy burden for you, Anakin," Luke said gently, reaching over to lay his prosthetic hand on the boy's shoulder, "but you are the most powerful Force Sensitive the galaxy has ever seen. In my timeline, the Jedi take you from Tatooine and train you in the ways of the Jedi, but you turn on them and become … a very bad person."

The youth shook his head rapidly, "I would never be bad!"

"Indeed, he would not!" Shmi protested. "Anakin has a very giving heart!"

"Some extremely difficult things happened, I am afraid," Leia said gently. "And thanks to the idiocy of the Jedi and Palpatine's machinations, you were convinced to trust him instead of your mentors."

"I can't leave Tatooine anyway" the boy protested. "I am a slave. I have a transmitter."

Leia leaned back and shook her head, "I admit we do not know the details of that story, of how you were rescued from slavery, but you were. Master Jinn, check his midichlorian count. You will find they are off the scale, greater even than Master Yoda."

Jinn stroked his long beard, his expression grave, "I have sensed that the boy is strong in the Force, but surely not that strong."

"He is," Luke said grimly. "He is. And I assure you that as a Sith Lord, he carved a path of destruction and violence and agony across the galaxy."

"It is not true!" Shmi said in anguish. "I will not believe it!"

"In our timeline, it happened," Luke said steadily. "In _our_ timeline. We can change this timeline. We have gone back to other timelines and prevented Anakin's fall, and we can do it this time. But the key is Palpatine. Kill him, and all will be well. Vibroblade in the neck. Blood on the floor. It's a pleasing picture."

Leia snorted, "But not a practical one. He will sense ill intent, I assure you, so don't really try to take him on alone, Master Jinn. He is very, very powerful."

"You must admit this is difficult for me to accept, and the Queen as well," the Jedi responded, rising to his feet and pacing a few steps to stare out of the window at the blinding sandstorm which still raged outside the safety of the house.

"Master Jinn, please look at Leia, and then Padme, and then Shmi Skywalker."

He did so, he turned and gazed at all three lovely faces, and his mouth actually dropped open in shock and he began drooling.

"What!" Padme cried out. "What is it?"

"Leia's appearance, I see, I see ... you, your Highness, and … yes, I see Shmi as well. It is as if …"

"As if Shmi is my grandmother, and Padme is my mother, and they are both, yes," Leia said gravely. "Luke and I are the twin children of Anakin Skywalker, who became Darth Vader, and his wife, Padme Amidala Naberrie Skywalker, who died in childbirth when we were born."

Stunned silence fell on them all, except for Jar Jar Binks, who fell into the trash compactor and was mercifully killed by it.

"I get to marry a queen?!" Anakin cried out, showing more understanding than most of the adults.

"Yes, and you loved one another and were very happy together, until everything went to Chaos," Luke said gravely. "It would have been a good marriage except the Jedi were complete morons and think that Jedi shouldn't marry, so when Padme and Anakin fell in love, which is ten years from now or so, they had a secret marriage and then things got super messy. It was bad."

Jinn frowned indignantly, "Attachment is dangerous!"

"Bantha poodoo!" Luke snapped back. "I am married, Leia is married, and our marriages keep us sane, plus we have some great kids who wake us up in the middle of the night and drool copiously and poop everywhere …"

"Luke has 5 week old twins so he is pretty tired."

"Thankfully C-3PO helps out a lot," Luke admitted.

"My C-3PO?" Anakin sputtered. "You have my droid?"

"Um, what?" Leia demanded.

The droid in question, having heard himself mentioned, staggered into the room, "I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations. My facilities are at your service."

Luke and Leia exchanged shocked glances.

"No way!" they said in sync.

"So you are both Jedi?" Jinn demanded.

"Luke is," Leia explained. "I am not officially a Jedi though I am well trained. I'm more of a politician, like my mother before me."

Padme, who was reeling from all this craziness, managed a watery smile while Jinn forged on, "Regardless of the truth of your claims, the fact remains that we must get off Tatooine, and we do not have the money to buy the part from Watto."

Luke took a drink of water and groaned, "Ok, simple answer. Steal it. Just levitate it out of the junk yard."

"Jedi do not steal!" Jinn snapped back.

"Watto is a slaver," Leia snarled. "He is keeping Shmi and Anakin in slavery! He does not deserve your respectful adherence to the normal moral codes. Steal the blasted part, and let's get out of here with Shmi and Anakin in tow!"

"We have transmitters," Shmi said wearily.

Luke tightened his lips, "I have learned how to find them with the Force, and how to remove them safely though the process can be a painful one."

"We will take pain to be free," Shmi said starkly.

"Tomorrow is the Boonta Eve classic," Anakin commented. "Lots of people will be busy, including Watto. The shop will be closed during the race."

"Pod racing, right?" Luke replied, his eyes glistening with fervor. "I'd love to see that though I don't suppose we have time."

"I have a pod myself, that I built, and I was hoping to race," the boy confessed. "But Watto doesn't know I have it. I'm the only human able to pod race."

"I could do it too," Luke replied affectionately, "though I think we'd both be better served to get off Tatooine while everyone is busy with the race."

"If we are going to steal the part, we had best be subtle," Jinn said gloomily. "Even the Republic does not care to anger the Hutts."

Leia's head turned quickly, "Which Hutt?"

"Jabba," Shmi said with a shudder. "He is the master of most of the despicable and vile trade here on Tatooine, slavery, spice …"

"We know," Luke sadly and then shifted his eyes to Leia, who was gazing at him pleadingly.

"Luke, please …"

"Not our job this time, Leia."

"Please, Luke, can I kill him again? Please please please please …"

"Again?" Shmi demanded.

"Leia strangled Jabba to death in our timeline about 6 years ago, but Leia, it's not safe …"

"Please, Luke," she begged, making her eyes as dewy as possible.

Luke groaned and sighed, "All right, Leia. But after we kill Jabba, we need to get off Tatooine."

Padme looked around in sudden confusion, "Where is Jar Jar?"

"I believe, Mistress Padme, that he fell into the trash compactor and died," C-3PO said brightly.

/

_Author Note: I hate Jar Jar with a passion._


	28. Chapter 28

_Author Note: Just a reminder to everyone that this is crack fiction. Most people applauded the absurd death of Jar Jar Binks but a few were disturbed. I found Jar Jar supremely annoying so given that this is supposed to be comedic, into the trash compactor he went!_

"My stretch marks are showing," Leia Organa said in a horrified tone.

Padme Amidala shot Leia an uneasy glance and shook her head, "I doubt it will matter, er, ..."

"Just call me Leia," the princess replied cheerfully. "I am, after all, your hypothetical alter future daughter."

"Right," Padme agreed, wide eyed.

"So you have children?" Shmi Skywalker inquired, her gifted hands whipping stitch after stitch into the slave girl costume; she was fashioning it out of fabric they had purchased from a street vendor after the sandstorm ended.

"Yes, twins," Leia explained fondly. "A girl and a boy, just a year old. Apparently twins are a thing in our family line."

"None of our relatives has twins," Padme protested.

"Ok, you are the one who started the trend, then."

"I will stitch a mesh screen which will obscure the stretch marks," Shmi assured Leia, "though I do not believe it will matter to a Hutt."

"Almost certainly not," Leia replied. "I look forward to killing the old wretch again."

/

"I found it," Luke said, running his hand down the leg of the child version of his father. "Lower left ankle.

Anakin stared down at his own leg with a frown, "In my ankle?"

"Yes," Luke replied softly. "I can sense it."

"Can you get it out?"

"I can, though as I warned your mother, it will be a little painful. Do you trust me?"

"'Course I do. I can handle pain."

"You will have to be quite still, Anakin," Luke warned. "If it is jostled while I remove it, it could detonate."

Anakin paled a little but nodded with determination, "I want it out."

Luke nodded and glanced over at Qui-Gon Jinn, "Master Jinn, can you assist me in holding Anakin while I do the operation? I believe I can mind meld with him to induce a state of near unconsciousness but I need you to hold his leg still."

"By all means," Qui-Gon responded, gazing with patent disgust at the remains of the Gungan Jar Jar Binks in the trash compactor. "Young Anakin, why does your mother have such a strong trash compactor anyway?"

"I made it for her!" the boy responded with excitement. "I thought, why have a little trash compactor when you can have a big one? I am sorry it killed your friend, though."

"He was not exactly a friend," the Jedi responded with a grim shake of his head. "I believe the he was supposed to be the plucky comic relief, but he was far more annoying than plucky."

"Plucky?" Anakin inquired with scrunched up brow.

"We can discuss that later," Luke declared. "For now, let's get this out of you, and then we will work on your mother."

/

_The next morning_

"I have a girl to sell to your master. You will take me to Jabba now," Luke ordered Bib Fortuna who was, to his mild astonishment, around already.

Thankfully, the Twi'lek major domo was as susceptible to Jedi mind control as he would be, had been, twenty years ago in the future.

"I will take you to Jabba now," he agreed.

Luke nodded and led Leia, who was dressed as a slave girl, down the corridor and into a large den of iniquity under the balcony where Jabba was intending to oversee the Boonta Eve Classic.

Intending being the operative word.

The twins walked into the room and glanced around with mutual disgust. Jabba, not quite as fat as he had been in their time, was seated on a dais eating a paddy frog and belching out smoke from a pipe.

He had a slave girl, dressed in an all too familiar skimpy outfit, sitting at his tail. Jabba's taste for slave girls and their clothing apparently had not shifted over the decades.

Bib Fortuna crept up to his master's side and whispered into his large ear.

"Ushunta balaki!" the Hutt bellowed at Luke, which meant "How much do you want for the girl?"

Luke began bartering in Huttese while the twins scoped out the Hutt's bulbous body. Exactly 76 seconds later, they were ready to Force roll.

Jabba eyed Leia and stuck out his fleshy tongue with enthusiasm when he suddenly felt a very odd pang inside of him. He paused, frowned, gasped, wheezed, clutched at his throat, and finally flopped over, knocking into the aquarium of paddy frogs, who immediately began hopping frantically around in search of freedom.

There were screams, and howls, and cries of gibbering delight from the associated gangsters and minions. Luke and Leia kept their Force choke on the great Hutt's heart veins until he was definitely dead, and then strolled away.

Moola, the blue headed human, found her slave collar had mysteriously opened. She crept off while the going was good.

/

"Look!" Leia cried out, gesturing toward a distant sand dune. Luke glanced where his sister directed him; there were two beings fighting, one with a red double bladed lightsaber, one with a single bladed green one.

Luke nodded and accelerated the pod which he had borrowed from Anakin. It didn't really fit two grown adults very well, but the twins had made it work. Pods were crazy machines and he was quite astonished that a boy of nine could pilot such a vehicle though if anyone could, it was Anakin Skywalker. Nevertheless, no child should be racing so dangerously and Luke was thankful they had kept Anakin from the Boonta Eve Classic in this timeline.

"_It is Darth Maul_," he told his twin telepathically. "_The Zabrak Sith Lord that Mara and I ran into on Mandalore once."_

_"He has a brother, does he not?"_

_"Yes, but I don't sense any other Dark Siders here. Tell you what, let's do this our way."_

_"What is our way?"_

"_We'll both jump off the pod and I will engage him in battle along with Qui-Gon Jinn,"_ Luke explained. "_When he is appropriately distracted, sneak up on him and cut off his legs._"

"_Our way is not very sportsmanlike_," Leia returned in a slightly disapproving tone.

/

"What is it?" Obi-Wan Kenobi asked in bewilderment, staring down at the legless form of Darth Maul. The Sith Lord had indeed fallen to three trained Light Siders. Now he lay on the floor of Padme Amidala's ship, his arms bound with rope, his red eyes blazing with fury and disbelief.

"Darth Maul," Luke explained, panting slightly. The Zabrak had been a surprisingly agile and gifted fighter and he admitted he was not sure he and Qui-Gon could have taken him alone, or at least not without injury to themselves. However, the presence of a sneaky princess of Alderaan had tipped the scales in their favor.

"And who are you?" Obi-Wan demanded, helping his weary master to his feet. Qui-Gon had fought Maul for a good two minutes before Luke and Leia had shown up, and the previous night had been short on sleep.

"I'm Leia, he's Luke, and we are twins," Leia explained, frowning down at Maul. "Poor guy, he must be in a lot of pain. I really don't feel good about this."

"He is a Dark Sider," Kenobi pointed out coldly.

"Don't be a jerk, Obi-Wan," Luke riposted. "You should care if your enemy is in pain. I mean, you can disapprove of his life choices and I do, but don't be a louse and discount the fact that losing both legs is agonizing."

Maul continued to glower, though is eyes widened slightly at this. Obi-Wan also glowered.

"Excuse me," he said frostily, "but have we met? I believe I would remember someone with your level of insolence."

Luke's eyes widened and he laughed, "This is fun, it really is. My Obi-Wan was old and gray haired and so very wise…but I realize I am confusing you. Leia and I are from the future, like the far future. Like…40+ years in the future. We came back in time because the Force wanted us to interfere with this timeline. My best guess is we were specifically supposed to get Shmi and Anakin out together."

Kenobi gazed at his master, who nodded, "I believe them, Obi-Wan. They are indeed from the future. They predicted that we would encounter a Sith Lord named Maul."

"Perhaps they are working with him," Kenobi pointed out suspiciously.

Luke sighed and dropped his shields entirely, causing the padawan to flinch in astonishment.

"Such power!" he murmured.

"Yep, we are freaky powerful, and obviously with the Light Side of the Force," Luke agreed sunnily. "Partly it is because we are twins, partly it because we are Anakin and Padme's future children, and Anakin is the strongest Force Sensitive the galaxy has ever seen."

Kenobi shot a doubtful glance at Anakin, who was gazing at his hypothetical future son in wonder, and then at Padme.

"Er, I admit to being confused," he stated. "You are claiming that this child is your father, and that the handmaiden is your mother…"

"I think we all are somewhat confused," Jinn agreed. "Nonetheless, the truth is that Anakin's midichlorian count is through the roof, and Padme is actually the queen of Naboo, not a hapless handmaiden, and our visitors from the future knew all of it."

"Handmaidens are not hapless," Sabe snapped, walking into the room without her make-up on.

Luke and Leia glance between Padme and Sabe in amazement.

"You really do look a lot alike!" Leia exclaimed.

"Yes, we do," Padme agreed. "Sabe is a gifted fighter and a good friend, not to mention a noble decoy. All right, so you are saying that Sheev Palpatine is a master Sith Lord…"

"What?" Sabe and Kenobi shrieked together.

The queen waved an imperious hand, "So I presume this Maul person is his underling?"

"Yeah," Luke said, looking down at the spiky headed male with some sympathy. "The sad thing is that Palpatine is a sucky master, really. He is always looking to trade his current apprentice in for a new model; well, not always, but Maul would be discarded soon, anyway. After Maul is Dooku, and after Dooku is … is Vader."

The Zabrak bared yellowed teeth, "You lie, and the Dark Side will prevail."

"So the question is," Luke continued without acknowledging the prisoner, "do we chop him into bits here and space his parts, or do we take him before the Jedi Council?"

"Surely we cannot execute him in cold blood!" Padme said indignantly. "That is hardly the honorable way."

"We just executed Jabba in cold blood since there was no other viable way to wipe out the slug," Leia pointed out. "Don't get me wrong, Padme, I get it. I love appropriate justice and honorable court proceedings, but I also get irritable when the powers that be are morons about…about everything. If you take to Maul to Coruscant, the question is what will Palpatine do? Will he try to rescue Maul? Will he move now against the Republic?"

"I think it is about 13 years too soon for that. The Clone Wars haven't even started," her brother pointed out.

"Yeah," Leia agreed moodily. "I just don't want the Jedi Order to louse everything up again."

Obi-Wan turned slightly purple with outrage at this remark but Jinn placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Peace, Obi-Wan. Our friends have pointed out some significant issues and if it is true that Palpatine is a master Sith Lord, the Order has obviously been quite blind to some significant issues. However, young visitors from the future, I must insist that we bring this Sith to the Council. "

"As you wish," Luke replied.

"Erm, where is Jar Jar Binks?" Kenobi asked suddenly, glancing around.

"He was crushed in a trash compactor and died," Padme replied matter of factly.

Kenobi slumped in relief, "Well, that is a blessing, at any rate. Another few days of his inane chatter might have driven me quite mad, especially with a legless Sith Lord to guard."

/


	29. Chapter 29

_Qui-Gon Jinn's cabin_

_Queen Amidala's Ship_

_En Route to Coruscant_

"What can I do for you?" Qui-Gon Jinn inquired courteously from his cross legged position on the floor. He had spent the last hour in meditation, seeking wisdom for the upcoming confrontation with Palpatine, only to be interrupted by the mysterious time travelers from the future.

Luke plopped himself down on the floor of the cabin and Leia joined him a moment later.

"We need to talk about Anakin," Leia explained.

"What about Anakin?" Jinn demanded.

"This whole 'stick him in the Jedi Temple and never let him hang with his mom again' thing isn't going to work," Leia stated sternly.

Qui-Gon frowned at this, "Our system has been in place for generations. Younglings must break free from the attachments of their earliest years."

"It's a disgusting system," Luke riposted hotly. "It is normal and healthy for children to bond to their parents. It's amazing you haven't all gone bonkers. But in any case, I understand most little ones come to the Jedi Temple very young, correct?"

"Yes," the Jedi Master admitted. "Children are screened for high midichlorian counts at birth."

"Anakin is nine years old," Leia pointed out. "His life has been a hard one. His mother has been his one positive constant in life. His natural tendency is to go insane and start murdering people in droves, so you need to NOT take away the one person in his life who gives him stability."

"I admit I find it startling that in your timeline, Anakin turned to the Dark Side," Jinn confessed. "He is a charming and selfless child."

"I agree. I have enjoyed meeting him at this age," Leia said, taking a deep breath. "I assure you, however, that he was horrifying in our timeline. He tortured me twice and cut off Luke's right hand in a duel in spite of the fact that he knew Luke was his son."

Jinn cringed at this and sighed, "Perhaps it would be safer if he did not train to become a Jedi."

Luke and Leia exchanged quick glances and Leia leaned forward, "To some degree, that would be a sensible route to take, Master Jinn. Anakin will be more stable if he is not in the Jedi Temple and is with his mother. Shmi has been long dead in our timeline, but on one of our previous jaunts into the past, we met her. She is a lovely, calm, sensible, wise, good woman."

"However," Luke continued intensely, "you must see that Anakin needs to have some training. He is incredibly powerful, and if some Light Sider does not guide him, I have no doubt he will fall to the Dark Side sooner rather than later."

Jinn grimaced at this, "I confess that the news that we have two Sith Lords roaming the galaxy is still a profound shock. If we take them down, I believe Anakin is safe enough, is he not?"

"In our last journey through time, there was a real mix up in the timeline, and the Jedi were evil; with Yoda as Emperor, and Palpatine, Vader, and Ahsoka Tano were good."

"The Jedi were evil?! And who is Ahsoka Tano?" Jinn demanded in bewilderment.

Luke waved a random hand, "She's probably not around yet. Anyway, my point is this; Palpatine mentioned a master in that timeline known as Darth Plagueis. I don't know if this Plagueis guy is still alive or not; he might already have been taken down but until we are certain, we need to consider the possibility that there is yet another Sith Lord lurking somewhere."

Jinn sighed and ran a weary hand over his brow, "I confess to feeling rather overwhelmed by this."

"Yeah, I get it," Leia returned sympathetically. "You had your mission and it was difficult but straight forward, and now the galaxy has been turned on its head."

"Exactly."

"Well, the first step is to deal with Sidious," Luke insisted. "After that, we can sort everything else out. He's like a spider at the center of an invisible but dangerous web. He is sneaky and powerful and will cause all kinds of trouble if we don't deal with him soon. "

Jinn frowned, "You realize, of course, that I have only your word for all of this. I have only met Palpatine a few times, but he seems a benevolent and honest man, inasmuch as that is possible for a politician."

"We can prove it to you," Luke stated starkly.

/

_Imperial Senate Building_

_Coruscant_

"That is quite all right, Senator Antilles," Sheev Palpatine murmured softly, bestowing a gentle smile on the senator from Alderaan. "I look forward to discussing further relief to refugees of the Trade Federation crisis, but it can wait a day or two."

"Thank you, Senator Palpatine, for being so understanding about the sudden schedule change," Antilles replied as he glanced at his watch. "My apologies, I must go."

Sheev Palpatine, senator from Naboo, undercover Sith Lord, walked to his nearby shuttle, which carried him to the Senatorial Towers where he currently occupied the entire fifth floor suite. The penthouse was, of course, the most prestigious suite, but currently it was occupied by Chancellor Finis Valorum. If all went well, the current Chancellor would be booted by the end of the week and Palpatine would take his place. After that, it would only be a question of patience and time and cunning before he, Sheev Palpatine, Sith Lord, took over the galaxy as its rightful ruler.

_If _all went well. He was concerned about Darth Maul, who had trotted obediently off to Tatooine some days ago and had gone space silent. There was also an odd disturbance in the Force. Well, he would handle it, as he handled everything.

He entered the elevator from the landing pad on the roof, entered in his private key code, waited for the doors of the elevator to open, and stepped into the entrance room.

And halted. There was something wrong. No, _someone_ was wrong.

There was someone in his living quarters.

He grasped the lightsaber hidden in his Senatorial robes and walked carefully down the hallway toward his private study. Yes, the intruder was in there ...

He stepped into the room and flipped on the lights with the Force. There was a gasp and an attractive dark haired young woman, dressed in a black tunic and leggings, looked up from his computer with astonishment and distress. A moment later, the girl had grabbed a blaster and was pointing it straight at him with a steady hand.

"Don't move, Senator Palpatine," she ordered. "Don't move or I'll shoot."

Her voice was attractive, as was her face, which looked oddly familiar. He had never seen her before, he was sure of it, but perhaps she was related to someone he did know?

In any case, he needed to deal with this. His quarters were supposed to be completely secure. How had she gotten in here?

"How did you get in here?" he demanded, raising his hands obediently. Sometimes it was best to humor someone while seeking information.

"Lie down on the floor and put your hands on your head," she directed, ignoring his query.

Well, enough of humoring. He was too old, and too dignified, to lie down on the floor.

He gestured slightly with the Force and the blaster was yanked out of the girl's hand and sailed into his own. The woman's mouth parted in shock.

"How ... how did you do that?" she gasped dramatically.

"I am asking the questions," he snarled, allowing his face to settle into its comfortable contorted expression of disgust and rage. It felt wonderful. It was so hard to spend hours on end looking calm and friendly. Ugh!

The girl backed up a few steps, her own face now twisted with fear, "Don't get near me! Don't touch me!"

"I don't need to touch you," he snarled, letting loose with a maniacal laugh. "You chose the wrong abode to infiltrate. Now, I will ask you again, how did you get in here?"

He reached out with the Force, intent on wresting the information from her mind, only to meet a durasteel wall of incredible sophistication and power.

Stunned, the Sith took a step forward just as the ceiling behind him collapsed abruptly. He spun around in time to observe two figures drop to the floor. One was a young man of approximately 30 years of age, dressed in black, with a green lightsaber lit in his hand. The other was the vile and annoying Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn.

Jinn looked as surprised as Palpatine felt.

"Convinced, Master Jinn?" the girl inquired in a snarky tone.

"Indeed I am," Qui-Gon stated, lighting his own saber. "Senator Palpatine, I confess I did not truly believe you were a Dark Side adept. You shield incredibly well."

"So does Leia," the young man commented with a grim smile. "Admit it, Palpatine, you had no idea that she was a Force user."

Well, this was not remotely Ok. Palpatine lit his own blood red saber and lunged forward, intent on taking out the youth before Jinn could get his own saber ignited. The youth blocked with easy skill and even managed to force the Sith a few steps back. Palpatine shifted his saber to his right hand and sent a Force blast of Sith Lightning towards the young man, who promptly caught it on his saber and held his position.

Jinn had lit his own saber now and was coming in from the side, which was a bit nerve wracking but ...

Palpatine kept the lightning flowing to keep the Unknown in position and swept his red saber to the right to block Jinn. A moment later, there was the familiar sound of a saber coming alive behind him. He suddenly screamed in agony as his legs were abruptly disconnected from his body.

He fell, howling, his eyes dilated as his now disembodied limbs collapsed pathetically to the floor.

"Well, are there any other Sith Lords available? I'm apparently offering a 'cut off your legs' special," the girl commented wearily.

"I know, it's not very sportsmanlike," the youth replied, reaching out his hand and pulling Palpatine's saber to him.

Jinn was regarding the heap of Sith Lord in astonishment, "Truly, it is hard to believe."

"Yes," Luke Skywalker agreed, stepping forward and grabbing Palpatine by the armpits. He dropped him on a nearby chair and stepped back thoughtfully.

"Leia, can you cut off some of those curtain cords to tie him up?"

"Sure thing," Leia said brightly, jumping onto Palpatine's desk and beginning to cut off cords with her lightsaber.

"Who are you?" Palpatine hissed in outrage. The pain was agonizing but it also fueled the Dark Side within him. On the other hand, he didn't have any legs and while he could use the Force to float, it would not be easy to fight and float. Plus he was definitely weakened by being legless.

"I am Luke and she is Leia," the young man explained insouciantly, beginning to wind curtain cords tightly around his torso and arms with the Force. "We are twin Light Siders from the future. Like decades in the future. We came back in time to stop you in this timeline because in our own, you made a huge mess of things what with the Clone Wars and the Empire and all that."

Palpatine gazed at the young man in furious rage. Time travel was impossible, was it not? On the other hand, he knew all the Jedi Masters and this young man was extremely well trained and definitely had never met him before.

"Argghhhhhh!" he suddenly shouted, suddenly angry beyond anything he had experienced in his life. It was enraging to think that another version of himself had succeeded and become Emperor but he was stuck with amputation and unmasking far too early. How could this have happened? His other self must be a complete fool!


	30. Chapter 30

"Not understand do I how could be this is!" Grandmaster Yoda declared, staring gloomily at the legless form of Sheev Palpatine. The formerly undercover Sith Lord was sitting on a hoverchair, his body firmly tied to the chair with myriad loops of steel cables.

"Mom, why does he talk like that?" inquired young Anakin Skywalker, who was standing in the corner of the Jedi Council Chamber in front of Shmi, who had her arms wrapped around him protectively.

"Master Yoda is very old, very wise, very strong in the Force, and very eccentric," Leia Organa explained to the childhood alternate of her father. "The weird speech patterns are one of his eccentric things."

"You are entirely certain of this, Jinn? You truly believe that Palpatine is a Sith Lord?" Mace Windu demanded, his handsome face furrowed in disbelief.

Qui-Gon Jinn silently started a holovid of the confrontation in Palpatine's office, which Leia had captured by attaching a small holocam to Palpatine's desk before he showed up. The Jedi, the time travelers, Padme, Anakin, and Shmi all watched as Palpatine hurled Force Lightning at Luke and fought Jinn with remarkable skill.

"Incredible," Agen Kolar murmured with a shake of his spiky head. "How did we not sense Palpatine's Dark Side power? He obviously shields incredibly well."

"And I would have taken over the galaxy if it wasn't for these meddling time travelers," Palpatine suddenly shrieked, flecks of foam frothing from his mouth. "I promise you that I will track you down and kill you slowly and painfully if it is the last thing I do!"

"He definitely sounds very evil," Padme Amidala commented worriedly. "I am not certain what we can do, however. It could be successfully argued that he was defending himself since you infiltrated his private office, Leia."

"We managed to slice his computer with R2D2's help and Palpatine's unwilling retinal scan, and found a bunch of files tying him to the Trade Federation, your Highness," Leia pointed out. "He is behind the whole blockade, of course. Darth Sidiou deliberately attacked Naboo to position himself politically so that he would be elected the next Chancellor. And from there, the Clone Wars, from there Order 66 and the destruction of most of the Jedi Order, and from there the rise of the Empire with Sheev Palpatine at its head. That is what happened in our timeline and billions of people died because of this man."

There were murmurs of distress and horror but Yoda shook his head slowly, "Right she is, the Queen. Murder him in cold blood we cannot. It is not the Jedi way. Stand trial he must before the Senate."

"And Maul as well," Jinn asked, "the junior Sith Lord?"

"There is another?" Kolar demanded with a gasp.

"Yes, Maul is a Zabrak like yourself. Obi-Wan Kenobi is guarding him now on the Queen Amidala's ship in orbit around nearby Foerost," Jinn explained. "We thought it unwise to have both Sith in the same locale. But yes, we have captured yet another Sith Lord. I am concerned with the situation, Council. If we wait, Palpatine may slip his way free. He is obviously too dangerous to be kept alive for long."

"He has much information of importance," Padme protested. "We need to know more about the leadership of the Trade Federation and if he can be convinced to talk …"

"Absolutely not," Luke snapped irritably. "Padme, don't you get it? Supreme evil. This man is supremely evil …"

"And yet if we destroy him without legal cause …'

"I agree with young Luke …"

_"Luke, my toes are tingling."_

_"Mine too."_

_"You thinking what I'm thinking?"_

_"Yep."_

The squabbling Jedi fell silent abruptly as their two visitors from the future suddenly vaulted toward Palpatine's hoverchair, their blue and green lightsabers leaping to life. Before their shocked eyes, the twins sliced Palpatine into eight pieces then disappeared into the ether.

The Jedi Council stared at the dismembered, smoking corpse in astonishment while Anakin grinned enthusiastically.

"Well, that takes care of that question," Jinn said finally. "Now, what shall we do about Maul?"

/

_Original Timeline_

_Varykino Guest House_

_Naboo_

Luke returned to the normal timeline to find himself on his bed just as his beloved wife groaned and rolled painfully to her feet, yanked from her comfortable abode by the siren call of two screaming babies.

The Jedi Master always needed at least a couple of minutes to reorient himself after a journey through time, so he lay quietly for three minutes and thirty seconds before rising from his soft mattress and entering the babies' room, where both his twin daughters were howling with furious indignation.

"Can I help?" he asked softly.

"Shmi is very messy," his wife murmured. "Can you change her? She doesn't like being messy."

Luke obeyed with alacrity. He really didn't have much problem with messy diapers produced by breastfed babies. Jar Jar in the trash compactor had been much stinkier!

Shmi was indeed much calmer with a clean diaper, and Luke carefully settled her so she could nurse along with her sister Beru. He then walked into the kitchen, fetched some blue milk and a bowl of shelled koja nuts, and walked back to present his offerings to his wife.

"Thank you, Farmboy," Mara Jade Skywalker said gratefully, using the Force to pop open the blue milk bottle and guzzling it down with enthusiasm.

Luke Skywalker stared at his wife and twin girls adoringly even as he stretched out a Force tendril to check on his toddler son, who was sleeping on his mattress in the bedroom next door. For all that his life had been a very challenging one, even a painful one, he was grateful for all that he had gained in a fantastic wife and (so far) three amazing, noisy, exhausting children.

/

_Other Timeline_

_Intergalactic Police Headquarters_

_Coruscant_

_13 years later_

"All I am saying is that we should check it out," Lieutenant Anakin Skywalker insisted, leaning over the holopad to glare at the report.

They were holed up in the office of Police Captain Qui-Gon Jinn, who had set aside his Jedi career to take up law enforcement, and the older man leaned back in his chair and prepared for figurative fireworks between his two most valuable underlings.

"It will take days to get to Tatooine," Lieutenant Maul growled. "We have eleven open cases, including three murders, in case you have forgotten. And if you think you are going to gallivant off to Tatooine in search of a some Hutt mobster who may or may not be there, who may or may not know where Darth Plagueis is, you've got another think coming! I am not letting you go off on some vacation, you got it?"

"Vacation?" Anakin demanded, rising to loom over his shorter partner. "Vacation? On Tatooine? That wretched planet is full of dust and sand and more dust and more sand and heat and more sand! It isn't like I want to go back to that hole. But if you want to go instead, by all means go. I suppose it might be a nice nostalgia trip for you to return to the locale where you got your legs chopped off by my daughter all those years ago!"

Maul grimaced hideously at this, "Hypothetical future daughter, Skywalker. And as a matter of fact, I like my new legs! Thanks to the rocket boosters on them, I can fly short distances. I haven't seen you do that. You wish you had nice legs, Anakin!"

"Children, children," Captain Qui-Gon Jinn remonstrated in a soothing tone. "There is no reason to quarrel and it is also supremely annoying. I am working on the police budget this morning, which is already giving me a headache. I don't need you two acting immature."

The former Darth Maul lifted his brow, "Seriously, Skywalker, do you really believe that this Hutt is working with Hego Damask, known to the Jedi as the fugitive Sith Lord, Darth Plagueis?"

"Absolutely," the young man replied stoutly. "You have seen the reports coming through from our contacts on the Outer Rim. Not only do I think Zupla the Hutt is working with the Sith Lord, I believe that Plagueis will show up on Tatooine soon! He might even be there now! I had a dream about it last night. I didn't really mean that you should go, Maul; only the Chosen One is going to be able to take on a _real_ Sith Lord."

The temperature in the office seemed to plunge as Qui-Gon rose to his full height, permitting him to loom over both his lieutenants.

"Anakin, are you telling me you had a dream about Plagueis being located on Tatooine?"

"Yeah!"

"As in, one of your dream dreams? The prophetic ones?"

"Yeah, like the one where I dreamed about Prince Xizor of the Black Sun crime syndicate hiding in that eel pudding factory. And I was right!"

Jinn took a menacing step forward, "And you intended to charge off to Tatooine to face him alone, Anakin? Are you insane?!"

The young man with the dark blond hair and flashing blue eyes glared back at his mentor and superior officer, "What are you saying, that just 'cause I didn't grow up in the Jedi Temple and learn from Yoda that I'm a rotten fighter?"

"Of course not, Anakin," the older man replied patiently. "You are the most powerful Force Sensitive in the galaxy and a wily and skilled swordsman. But Darth Plagueis has been around a very long time and is no slouch as a fighter either. We need to let Master Yoda know his location and then a bunch of us will pounce on him and dismember him, just as your hypothetical future children cut Sidious into pieces."

"He is right, Anakin," Maul chimed in, dropping his sarcastic demeanor in the hope of getting through the head of his stubborn friend. "Plagueis taught Sidious, and Sidious taught me, and you know I'm a decent fighter."

"You are amazing," Anakin agreed reluctantly. "When we spar, we are evenly matched even though you are such a shorty."

"I am not a shorty," the Zabrak returned indignantly. "It's just that I'm surrounded by looming humans!"

"Ok, fine, tell Yoda," Anakin allowed, turning back to his mentor.

"Thank you," Jinn responded sarcastically. "I was not planning to tell him until you gave me permission, of course."

Anakin blushed a little, "It's just that I don't think Master Yoda likes me very much."

"Of course he doesn't," Maul agreed cheerfully. "You came here to Coruscant as a dewy eyed 9 year old and broke the Jedi Order into pieces. You managed to turn me back to the Light Side, and Jinn left the Jedi and you live with your mother. Now we've got trained Force Sensitives working as policemen and mechanics, and Obi-Wan Kenobi is off procreating with Duchess Satine after marrying her ..."

"None of that is my fault," Skywalker insisted in a grumpy tone.

"Not at all," Qui-Gon agreed soothingly. "You were the catalyst for needed change. But even if Yoda doesn't like you, as you put it, he does want to destroy Plagueis, and we all respect your dreams."

"Ok, fine. But you don't need to be like a mother hen clucking over her chick, Captain. I can take care of myself; you don't need to worry about me."

"I am _so _not worried about you," Jinn riposted. "I am afraid of Senator Amidala. If I let her fiancé die in a fight against a Sith Lord, I shudder to think of the repercussions. Your Padme is scary."

"She is," Maul agreed. "She looks like a porcelain doll ... but with lots of pointy teeth."

"Yes." Skywalker admitted, a besotted expression in his eyes.

"So I will talk to Yoda, we'll put together a strike team, and we'll go to Tatooine and finally put an end to Plagueis."

"Sounds great, Captain."

/

_Varykino_

_2 weeks later_

Padme Amidala Naberrie stood under the large Zaela tree which shaded the east terrace of her beloved Varykino. Across from her stood her tall fiancé, soon to be husband. Anakin had not fared well in his fight against the Sith Lord Darth Plagueis and was now sporting a prosthetic leg and a rather dramatic scar above the right eyebrow. Indeed, it had taken major pressure from both Amidala and Qui-Gon Jinn to spring Anakin from the hospital; Padme might have suggested that a fully trained _essentially_ _Jedi_ would leave if he felt like it, which facilitated the doctors' decisions to let a most recalcitrant patient go.

But at least Plagueis was finally dead. Anakin Skywalker was not a Jedi, but a member of law enforcement. Padme Amidala was the Senator from Naboo, and Anakin would be able to follow her back and forth from Naboo to Coruscant doing his police work thanks to the power of the Holonet Quoom app.

She glanced around joyfully at their audience: Shmi Skywalker, silver haired and delighted at the wedding of her only son, Darth Maul, grinning openly at his compatriot, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Duchess Satine with their three children, even Mace Windu had made the trip for the ceremony.

She turned back to gaze into the eyes of her beloved Anakin. She knew that in an alternate timeline he had fallen to the Dark Side but she had utter confidence that in this life, he would remain focused on the Light with the former Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, his mother, and his wife to spur him towards reasonable decisions.

He was a good person, and a particularly handsome one, and she loved him dearly.

She reached to him and they grasped hands as the ceremony began.

_Author Note: I like the idea of people with Force potential getting into a bunch of different fields; doctors, nurses, social workers, law enforcement. Seems healthy to me._


	31. Chapter 31

_Author Note: COVID-19 struck our household and I am in my third week of symptoms. My brain is weary and my back is aching, but at least I have no serious breathing or lung problems. I am thankful for that. Several other people here are also sick but I seem to have the worst of it for now, which isn't surprising since I am the oldest person in the house. __J_

_I have a couple of other fics to work on but my brain is sluggish and this chapter, while not particularly original, was easy and fun to write. So voila._

_The Cloud City of Bespin_

Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, gazed down dispassionately at the howling Corellian Han Solo, who was attached to a scan grid. The grid was designed to send increasing jolts of electricity into its subject's torso, inducing tremendous levels of pain. The man's agony was a pleasure to feel in the Dark Side of the Force, but the real purpose was to draw Luke Skywalker to Bespin. If Luke Skywalker was anything like his father Anakin, he would have visions of his friends' pain and come rushing to the rescue.

Only to find his true father, Darth Vader, waiting for him. Anakin was quite dead, after all – the last vestiges of that weak boy-man had been burned away in the fires of Mustafar.

He turned his back on the writhing figure of the smuggler and strode out into the corridor, where Boba Fett and Lando Calrissian, the administrator of Cloud City, were waiting.

Calrissian he dismissed with casual ease – the man was too interested in saving his own skin to do anything to oppose a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Fett was also wise enough not to counter Vader, but the Sith intended to treat him with at least a modicum of respect. It would not do to irritate a very competent bounty hunter. Nonetheless ...

"You may take Captain Solo to Jabba the Hutt after I have Skywalker," he snapped.

"He's no good to me dead," the hunter grated out angrily.

"He will not be permanently damaged," Vader assured him. It was true. Based on the increasingly loud screams, Solo was in great pain but the torture was not designed to permanently harm.

"What about Leia and the Wookiee?" Calrissian demanded.

Surprising. Vader had not thought Calrissian would dare to even ask that question.

Vader turned on the Baron, his cape swirling menacingly, "They must never again leave this city."

"That was never a condition of our agreement!" Calrissian declared indignantly. "Nor was giving Han to this bounty hunter."

"Perhaps you think you are being treated unfairly?" Vader began, then froze. Something was wrong. The screams had stopped, and ...

/

Luke Skywalker should, at this point, be quite used to the Force grabbing him and dumping him in esoteric places and times. But this time he was a little pissed off.

His four month old daughter Beru was teething and not sleeping well. Mara was exhausted and thus Luke had agreed to walk the baby up and down their living room while his weary wife slept.

So that was what he was doing until suddenly he was yanked from his living room and into a torture chamber.

Of course, he knew from experience that he would return to exactly the same spot in his timeline, but still, it was jarring.

Not as jarring as being tortured, of course.

The stormtroopers who were overseeing Solo's brutal treatment hardly had time to be surprised. Luke Skywalker had his lightsaber lit in two seconds, had their heads off five seconds after that, and the Jedi shut down the scan grid five seconds later.

Solo looked up in relief, which morphed into astonishment.

"Luke?" he demanded groggily. "Is that ... that you? How did you get here? You look different somehow!"

"It is kind of me," Luke replied, quickly releasing his friend from the straps and helping him stand up. The Corellian wobbled slightly but managed to stay upright; fortunately, he hadn't been tormented too long. "It is complica ..."

He froze in position at the sound of two lightsabers clashing in the corridor, which provoked a torrent of Huttese imprecations from the Tatooine native.

"Come on!" he ordered, racing out into the corridor with Solo staggering behind him with bewilderment and lingering pain.

Darth Vader had long prided himself with his ability to deal with sudden changes in fortune. His muscle memory and ease with the saber protected him from sudden death, but his opponent was a gifted one and his mind a maelstrom of confusion.

Leia Organa, dressed not in her white outfit but instead in tan robes, an older Organa with her hair piled in a simple bun, was battling him with a blue lightsaber, which was ridiculous. Even more ridiculous was that another Leia Organa, the one he had captured only hours ago, was behind her in the corridor.

What in all the foul sands of Tatooine was going on?

"I've got him, Leia," Luke Skywalker said firmly, leaping into the fray and stepping in front of the (other) princess of Alderaan. "Shut the doors, will ya?"

"I've got it, Farmboy," another voice called, just as a series of doors clanged shut at both ends of the corridor, leaving Darth Vader, Calrissian, and three startled stormtroopers trapped within along with the original Han and Leia.

A moment later, just to increase the level of confusion, the armored form of Boba Fett fell dramatically into the corridor. The Mandalorian bounty hunter had made the mistake of trying to hide in a room where Mara Jade Skywalker was waiting, and had received a vibroblade to the neck for his pains.

"Can I suggest a temporary truce, Lord Vader?" Skywalker inquired politely after the two men had exchanged a few more blows. "I mean, these are not ideal quarters for a fight, if you get my drift. We need more space to make this really fun."

"Certainly," Vader agreed a little hesitantly. "Hold your fire."

"That especially means you, troopers," a red maned woman ordered, emerging from the side room. "No random shots or you will find yourself very dead."

"Jade!" Vader snarled, taking an angry step forward. "What are you doing here?"

"What are any of you doing here?" younger Leia demanded, moving over to wrap a protective arm around Solo. "Who cloned me?"

Older Leia shot Luke a horrified glance and nodded, "I suppose it totally does look like that, doesn't it? I am not your clone, and Luke is not the other Luke's clone. We are from the future. The Force keeps sending us through time and space to deal with problems of various kinds."

"In this case Bespin, again," Luke said with a galaxy weary sigh. "I hated it the first time and to keep ending up here ..."

"Don't whine," Leia scolded. "We just saved Han and Leia from torture!"

"What about Chewbacca?" Han asked anxiously.

Luke and Leia exchanged worried glances.

"He is back in the cell, and he won't sustain any permanent damage, but I am afraid we have to deal with a maniacal Sith Lord before we run off and rescue him."

"Leia," Mara suggested, "maybe you should guide Other Leia and Han and Calrissian out of here and Luke and I can keep Vader busy."

"No," the twins said simultaneously.

"No," Luke continued. "He seriously might kill you because, reasons."

"Time travel is impossible," Vader intoned rather belatedly. This whole situation was bizarre and bewildering and quite ...

"You always say that," Skywalker stated briskly, "but it should be obvious that I am way more trained than the Luke in this timeline could possibly be, and I look every one of my 30 years. Your Luke is only like 22 and young and fresh faced."

"You still look fresh faced to me," Mara declared, striding forward and planting a dramatic kiss on her husband's cheek.

Vader took another outraged, horrified step forward and Luke lifted his prosthetic hand, "Stop, Vader, just stop. Mara, you are provoking him."

"I love provoking him," his wife replied with an impish smile.

"Excuse me," younger Leia said weakly. "Are you and Luke ..."

"Married, yes, and we have children," Mara said cheerfully. "I do hope this particular traverse through time doesn't take too long or I'll start leaking milk. I'm breastfeeding twins."

Vader felt himself blanch behind his mask. Mara Jade, married to his son? And they were both Light Siders in a future timeline? How could this possibly be?

Breast milk?!

Older Leia chuckled at this and then shook her head, "Look, we are on a time crunch without any idea of exactly how crunchy. At some point, we're just going to disappear so we need to get you out of here, Han and Leia, and Chewie as well, of course. And 3PO."

"Is there another Han Solo around?" Solo demanded, looking around uneasily.

"No," Older Leia said briskly. "So far, only Force Sensitives are able to do this whole time jump thing which is too bad. I would love to have my Han along for the ride."

"I am not a Force Sensitive," younger Leia declared shakily, leaning further into Han's comforting bulk.

Her counterpart turned to lift an irritable eyebrow, "Excuse me, did you or did you not just see me fighting with Darth Vader with a lightsaber? I'm not nearly as good as Luke, but obviously I'm a trained Force sensitive, or I would have had my head lopped off in two seconds flat."

Solo leaned back into Leia, though it hurt his sore torso, "How can Leia be a Force Sensitive? I thought it was like, really rare!"

The twins exchanged unhappy glances.

"I always hate this part," Leia said gloomily.

"Yep," Luke agreed, "but there is no avoiding it. Leia, you are a Force Sensitive because you are Luke Skywalker's twin sister."

Time stood still, and space. The walls began trembling slightly, causing the three hapless stormtroopers to look around for some place to hide. Calrissian took a cautious step away from the Sith Lord but held his ground.

"What!?" howled Vader and younger Leia simultaneously.

Luke continued, though he kept his eyes on his Alter Father, "So, Anakin Skywalker married a lady named Padme Naberrie Amidala ..."

"She was a senator of the Republic," Older Leia said helpfully.

"Yeah, I have heard of her!" Leia agreed, her eyes wide. "But how did we end up ..."

"She got pregnant," Luke explained patiently, "and gave birth to healthy twins but tragically died right after giving birth. The Jedi had fallen and the Emperor had risen to power, so we were separated for safety."

"The Organas couldn't have a biological child," Leia continued, "So they adopted me, you, us, and Luke was sent to ..."

"Tatooine, which totally sucks," her brother complained. "Tatooine is a horrible place to grow up."

"Well maybe if you could shield, it wouldn't have been necessary to exile you to that backdesert," Leia pointed out snidely.

"Sand is rough and coarse and irritating, and it gets everywhere," Luke groused.

Vader took a step forward, causing Luke to raise his lightsaber menacingly.

"Is this true?" the Sith demanded of the visitor from the future. "Is Leia Organa of Alderaan truly your sister?"

Luke gazed at him sympathetically, "Yes, she is. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" younger Leia demanded, her voice cracking in outrage and exhaustion, "Why would he be sorry?"

"Because," Older Leia explained sadly, "Darth Vader used to be Anakin Skywalker, and he is our biological father."

Vader stared into the face of this woman who was from the future, who wore the face of his angel, his Padme, and suddenly the walls were shaking and the floor was rumbling.

"Cut it out!" Luke yelled, reaching out to give his father a hard slap on the skull with the Force.

Vader did stop, more out of surprise than anything else. That hurt!

"He can't be!" younger Leia cried out in anguish. "It's impossible!"

Older Leia turned her grim stare on her counterpart, "Listen, now is not the time to grieve this, you got it? It is what it is. Scream and yell and wail about it later. It's the truth; Vader is your biological father, and Luke's father. Your Luke is on his way here because Vader knew about him, not you. Which is hysterically ironic, but it is what it is; he tried to use the anguish of his daughter to draw in his son ..."

There were choking noise from Vader's vocoder, but Leia swept on, "You and Han need to get out of here, and we'll hold keep Vader in check. Mara, please get them out and ..."

"Stop Other Luke from coming, I know."

"How could you?" younger Leia demanded, her eyes now fixed in outrage on Vader's helmet. "You were a Jedi Knight! Luke idolizes you! How could you?!"

"Feel free to be outraged," Luke said sympathetically, "But be outraged on the _Falcon_. Vader is a serious mess, but the Jedi were partly at fault, and of course Palpatine as well. I mean, he manipulated Anakin for years, and then he killed Padme, our father's great love, so..."

"No!" Vader cried out, his voice anguished even through the vocoder. "No, he did not kill her. I did. I choked her, my angel, and in my anger, I killed her."

· Luke rolled his eyes in exasperation, "And of course Palpatine told you that, right? Listen, Father, that is _not_ what happened. Leia and I have been sent back to Polis Massa twice."

·

· "Polis Massa?" young Leia asked in bewilderment.

·

· "It was a medical facility, derelict now. We were born there. We know what happened, Father. You were dying after being burned in lava on Mustafar. Palpatine reached through the bond between you and Mother and drained her Life Force to sustain your life while you were being placed in life support. The first time we went to Polis Massa, we cut the bond, and we felt you die! The second time, Leia was with Mother and I ended up on Coruscant with you. I killed Palpatine and managed to save your life. You did not kill Padme – he did."

·

· This time the walls started shaking so hard that the troopers were knocked off their feet. While Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, had the Force tantrum of the ages, Mara yanked Han, young Leia and Calrissian out of the door , whereupon Lando led them toward the cell blocks to rescue Chewbacca and C-3PO.

·

· Luke and Leia sat down and waited with a mixture of exasperation and sympathy as Darth Vader fell to the floor and rocked for a full ten minutes.

·

· When the Sith had finished spewing his rage and hurt and anguish into the galaxy, he was startled to actually feel a hand on his armor plated shoulder. He looked up to see his alter son sitting next to him, his face full of commiseration.

·

· "I'm sorry," Luke said quietly. "Leia and I have met Mother a few times, and she was amazing. I am not surprised the galaxy seems very empty without her."

·

· "You ... you met her?"

·

· "Yes, several times," Leia continued. "Our last trip was way way back to when Anakin Skywalker ... you were only a child of nine, the day you met Padme in Watto's junk shop. I must say, you were very cute."

·

· Vader shuddered again, this time in embarrassment, "I was not cute."

·

· "You were adorable," Leia replied firmly, "which is part of the reason I can talk to you instead of attacking you with a lightsaber. I mean, I hate your guts in your current manifestation, but we've met enough versions of Anakin Skywalker and even Darth Vader to know that losing Shmi, followed by your dreams of losing Padme, were instrumental in leading you over the edge. And Palpatine, of course. We cannot forget Palpatine. He pushed you off."

·

· "I will kill him," the Dark Lord responded with unnerving calm. "I will kill him for taking her away from me, from my children, from the galaxy."

·

· The twins exchanged startled glances.

·

· "That is an awesome idea, of course," Luke said diffidently, "but it won't be easy, right? I mean, I've met the dude. He's a very strong warrior in the Force."

·

· Darth Vader gazed blankly at the wall and nodded his head, "Yes, he is, but nonetheless, I will kill him. And if I die in the process, so be it. I would welcome death if it will destroy the man who took the love of my life."

·

· Luke hesitated for a moment before speaking, "We never quite know how long we have in a timeline but if we are still around, we can help out."

·

· "I think," Leia commented cautiously, "that this time around, we will have time. I sense it."

·

· "Me too."


	32. Chapter 32

· _Executor_

· _En Route to Imperial Center_

·

· "So what is the point of these trips through time?" Vader demanded.

·

· They were ensconced in Luke Skywalker's private suite/cell on board the _Executor,_ and Luke was flopped on the large, comfy bed which dominated the well-furnished room.

·

· Leia, who could never quite manage to be entirely comfortable around Darth Vader in his present form, was sitting on a cozy krayt dragon leather chair, her eyes fixed on her behemoth of an alternate sire.

·

· "Every time we go back in time, we feel the Light Side growing stronger," Luke explained. "So I don't know – I guess we go back in time to tip the galaxy towards the Light?"

·

· "The Light is weak," Vader growled.

·  
Luke sat up and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I know. We know. The Light is weak, the Dark Side is awesome and powerful, etc. etc. We have heard it all before."

·

· "It is true," Vader argued passionately. "The Jedi ways are foolish, else they would not have been destroyed ..."

·

· Leia Organa, who had heard these arguments many times before, rolled to her feet and wandered over to a nearby set of cupboards in search of snacks. A few seconds later, both Vader and Luke felt the Force blaze white with ecstasy.

·

· "These are so cute!" the princess of Alderaan shrieked, turning around with a stuffed colo claw fish in one hand and a stuffed blarth in the other.

·

· Luke bounded to his feet and was at his sister's side in an instant.

·

· "Look!" he exclaimed "A shaak plushie, and a blowfish, and an opee sea killer, and and I don't know what this is?"

·

· Vader, who had experienced his second round of intense embarrassment in less than a standard day, reluctantly admitted, "It is a nuna, a swamp turkey from Naboo."

·

· Luke fixed his intense blue gaze on his father and smiled a little, "These are all creatures from Naboo, right?"

·

· The Sith shifted awkwardly and then continued haltingly, "Your mother – we planned to travel to Naboo for the birth of our child and set up a nursery at Varykino, your mother's family estate ..."

·

· Leia tilted her head, her face attempting to combine outrage with amusement. It made for an odd look.

·

· "So let me get this straight," she said irritably. "Your intent was to batter your son and cut off his hand and then give him plushies as some kind of lame recompense?"

·

· Vader stiffened in surprise, "Cut off ..."

·

· Luke lifted his right, prosthetic hand, silencing his alternate sire.

·

· "My father cut off my hand at Bespin," he explained, then turned to his sister, "but of course that wasn't the plan, Leia ..."

·

· "I know," the woman responded in a sulky tone. "Vader intended to keep you unharmed by dropping you in carbonite. Not that carbonite is any kind of a picnic."

·

· "It isn't supposed to be as bad if the subject isn't stuck there too long," Luke pointed out. "I mean, if it is only a few days ..."

·

· "You evaded the carbonite trap?" Vader demanded in astonishment. "How?"

·

· Luke shrugged insolently, "I fell in and jumped out. It was only five meters."

·

· Vader allowed a huff of irritation to escape him. Really, what was it with his son? How could anyone with so little training evade so many attempts to capture him. Still ...

·

· "So my alternate fought you and defeated you and cut off your hand , and then ...?"

·

· Luke bit his lip, "I lost my hand and was cornered, and then you, well, the Vader in my timeline, told me that he was my father and offered me a place by his side. It was, I admit, a little tempting, but the thought of turning to the Dark Side was horrific, so I jumped into a chasm. Fortunately for me, Leia had escaped on the_ Falcon_ and rescued me."

·

· Vader sat down heavily on a convenient chair and pondered for a long five minutes.

·

· "I do not understand," he said finally.

·

· Leia, with a shaak plushie clutched to her midsection, sat back down on her chair, "What do you not understand?"

·

· "Your mother, Padme ..."

·

· It hurt to even say her name, even after all these years.

·

· "Your mother was an extraordinary woman but Force blind. I ... deeply regret my actions against her, especially since in retrospect, she could not understand the power of the Dark Side. But you are both so strong – surely you have touched the Dark and have tasted its power. How can you still cling to the feeble Light?"

·

· Leia huffed at this but Luke, who was stroking his swamp turkey, plopped down on the bed and leaned forward a little.

·

· "Some of it is pure selfishness, Father."

·

· Vader tilted his helmet in bewilderment, "Selfishness?"

·

· "Yeah. Frankly, the Dark Side is just so cruddy where relationships are concerned. Now I get that the old Order was stupid about attachment, but at least you had some good friends like Ahsoka Tano and Kenobi before he got stupid and cut off your limbs and left you to burn without killing you. What have you got? A brutal, controlling, manipulative master and millions who are terrified of you. The Dark is so full of anger and suffering and loss and ..."

·

· "Pain," Leia finished grimly.

·

· Vader turned his daughter, his index finger springing to life to shake at his female offspring.

·

· "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who tells you anything else is selling something."

·

· Leia glared back at him, "Actually, much of my life has been really wonderful, but I will admit my times in your presence involved a great deal of pain indeed."

·

· The Dark Lord flinched at this and turned away, "If I had known ..."

·

· "I am glad you didn't," Leia returned drily. "I'd rather be tortured than turned to the Dark Side."

·

· "Plus you knew about me, and you still nearly killed me," Luke pointed out calmly. "Look, you are a mess, we all know that. But I still love you and Leia ..."

·

· "Loves some forms of you," the princess continued. "Now, I think it is time to discuss the plan, don't you?"

·

· /

· _Dingy Hotel Room_

· _Imperial Center_

· _2 days later_

·

· Mara Jade stared with a mixture of incredulity and horror at her older alternate, Mara Jade Skywalker.

·

· "So the Emperor died, you decided the Rebel Skywalker, who is Darth Vader's _son_, is awesome, you _married_ the man, and now you are milking yourself like a nerf?"

· Mara, who was hunched uncomfortably over a basin on the dilapidated table provided for the room, shot her an irritable glance.

·

· "You have no idea how uncomfortable it is being totally full of milk without a baby or two to nurse. This trip through time is taking _forever,_ and yes, I have to express breastmilk every three to four hours or I might get an infection, or lose my supply. I do feel a little like a nerf at times, but it is worth it. The babies are awesome."

·

· Younger Mara slumped back on the tattered couch and closed her eyes, fighting the tears which threatened to escape her lids.

·

· "I thought Palpatine," she began haltingly. "I thought ..."

·

· "That you were special, that he really cared about you, that you were the only Hand," her alternate continued sympathetically. "This is a lot for you to take in. I learned the truth over a period of months and you have had it all dumped on you in one day. I am sorry."

·

· When the younger woman's eyes opened, they were blazing, "I would rather know the truth than live a lie. So we are going to kill Palpatine?"

·

· "Yes, with my husband's help, and his sister's, and Vader's."

·

· "You seriously think we can trust Vader?"

·

· "In his current incarnation, no," Mara admitted, her eyes on the squirting milk which was spraying into the basin. "I would suggest running for the hills as soon as Palpatine is dead, if you can at least. But he is my husband's father and I know is quite attached to his kids in his own insane way. I hope that once Palpatine is dead, the galaxy will lurch in a more healthy direction, though I am guessing, and indeed hope, that Luke, Leia, and I will return to our time promptly. I am really getting sick of this whole milk thing."

·

· "I hope so as well. Are your babies hungry in your timeline, do you think?"

·

· Older Mara shook her head, "No, we always reappear exactly at the same time we left, so I will be in bed sleeping and Luke will be walking our baby Beru, who is teething."

·

· "Teething?" the younger woman asked in bewilderment.

·

· "Yes, as in her teeth are coming into her little gums. It is the sort of thing you don't even consider when you don't have kids, but when you have a small child teething, it is epic in a really unpleasant way, involving a lot of wailing and gnashing of largely toothless gums. Luke and I are really worn out."

·

· "And it is really worth it?"

·

· Mara's eyes softened and tears gathered at the corners, "Every moment, yes. The children are fantastic."

·

· /

·

· _Emperor's Throne Room_

· _Imperial Center_

· _1 day later_

·

· Sheev Palpatine, emperor of the known galaxy, turned his throne around slowly and watched as the giant form of Darth Vader entered the throne room, accompanied by a young, dark blond man in manacles.

·

· The elder Sith felt a smile crease his face. The appearance of a young Skywalker on galactic scene three years previously had been a shock. He had truly not known that Padme Naberrie Amidala Skywalker had lived long enough to give birth.

·

· The reality that the young man in question had blown up the Death Star had been enraging but not particularly startling. Young Skywalkers were prone to blowing things up, after all.

·

· The loss of the Death Star was indeed a great one, but Luke Skywalker was worth more than a dozen Death Stars. He was so strong in the Force, but still young and untrained and pliable. Darth Vader had been a wreck since his close encounter with lava more than two decades previously. His son, on the other hand, was still fully limbed with lungs that actually worked without major life support. The boy was a prize!

·

· As the youth climbed the steps with his cyborg captor, the elder Sith felt his forehead creasing slightly. The prisoner looked ... older than expected. Furthermore, the boy was shielding far more competently than he had any right to. Of course, Palpatine had felt the power of Luke Skywalker growing in the last months but still!

·

· Skywalker climbed the stairs and halted two meters from the throne, with Vader dramatically hovering at his shoulder, the boy's lightsaber in his hand. For the 698th time, Sidious congratulated himself on Vader's cape; it was really a very imposing garment. Combined with the heavy breathing and massive armored form, the younger Sith's appearance was enough to cause most sentients to run for the nearest hill. Luke Skywalker himself was much less prepossessing but the packet of power in that slender form was most enticing.

·

· "Welcome, young Skywalker," the Emperor began with an oily smile. "I have been expecting you."

·

· "I doubt that," Skywalker replied insolently, his manacles dropping from his wrists. A moment later, the lightsaber in Vader's hand leaped into the boy's own, and a green blade ignited. At the same time, Vader's own blade ignited and both men leaped toward the Emperor.

·

· Sidious was rarely surprised by anything, but this was a total shock. Nevertheless, he hadn't lived this long without managing the occasional bout of treason.

·

· "Treachery!" he screamed at his guards as he lifted his hands and sent Force lightning at father and son.

·

· The ten red suited Imperial Guards raced toward the throne just as a hidden door opened in the corner of the throne room and three women tore out, all with lightsabers blazing. Palpatine was too focused on his male assailants to get a good look at the women, but he was vaguely aware that all three were familiar. Was that ... Jade? It couldn't be!

·

· Leia and the two Maras engaged the guards, their lightsabers buzzing as the three women moved with grace to block the guards force pikes and then spin around to chop off legs and arms and heads. The guards were the best trained men in the galaxy, but Leia and both Maras had spent years in combat training; that, along with the power of the Force, gave them the edge.

·

· The Emperor, in turn, was managing to hold off his own adversaries with Force Lightning, but it was not an easy task. The young Skywalker was unnervingly adept at blocking the bolts of energy, and both men were slowly struggling toward the elderly Sith. Belatedly, Palpatine pressed the com button on his throne with the Force to call for more aid, "Send ..."

·

· A deafening, baleful scream drowned out his command, the noise causing prickles of horror to run up and down the spines of Palpatine and his minions. It emanated from the apparently normal throat of young Skywalker, which was most unnerving. It sounds liked some great beast closing in on a kill.

·

· The Emperor desperately pushed the com button again, taking his eyes off his adversaries for one brief moment.

·

· In that second of inattention, Vader acted. The cyborg took two large steps to the left and then launched himself, heedless of the lightning in his way, toward the decrepit form of his master.

·

· The bolts of energy struck his cyborg form and he cried out in pain, but sheer inertia allowed him to crash into the elder Sith and knock him, face first, into the floor.

·

· Sheev Palpatine gasped in shock and asphyxiation. Vader was so so so so heavy! He flailed his arms wildly for a moment as he tried to use for the Force to lift off the giant armor clad form, but to no avail. Vader kept squashing him, using his own body and the Force, even as he reached out two mechanical hands to pin Palpatine's arms to the floor!

·

· Lightning was still spewing, but now it was aimed away from the Sith Lord. A moment later, a green blade swung down and Palpatine grunted in agony as his right hand was separated from his arm. Seconds later, his left hand was removed as well, and then the weight on him increased even more, pushing the air out of his lungs, causing ribs to creak and groan and break. He gasped, struggling for breath, to no avail. Red dots passed before his eyes, followed by black dots. A few seconds later, even more weight bore down on the Sith Lord and amid the feeling of ribs and spinal bones cracking and breaking, Palpatine lost consciousness.

·

· Luke and Leia bounced up and down on the back of their alter Father, pushing the great body down and relishing in the sounds of breaking bones.

·

· After two long minutes of compression, the twins leaped to their feet and nodded at one another.

·

· "He's dead," Leia said firmly.

·

· "Yep," agreed her brother. "Do you need some help getting up, Father?"

·

· Vader managed to roll off the mangled corpse of his master and lay on his back, gazing blankly up at the ceiling of the throne room. It was done. It had worked. He felt odd. Fiercely joyous that Palpatine was dead, but also a little lost without his slave master.

·

· Luke's slim hand appeared in his vision, and Vader grabbed it for balance. Luke promptly hauled the giant to his feet, which the Sith found vaguely intimidating. Really, his future son was ridiculously strong.

·

· "Are you all right?" Luke demanded. "I know Force Lightning isn't great for your electronics."

·

· "I am well enough," Vader responded with a casual wave of one hand. "I was only exposed briefly."

·

· "Good. And it appears our work here is done because my toes are tingling."

·

· "Mine too," Leia and Mara chorused together.

·

· "So we're out of here. The Emperor is dead. Long live ... whatever replaces it so long as it's a democracy!"

·

· The threesome disappeared, leaving Vader staring at the younger version of Mara Jade, who was gazing in shock at the broken form of her master. Behind her lay heaps of Imperial Guards, all cut down by three determined women and their lightsabers.

·

· Mara finally woke up enough to observe the cyborg gazing at her, and flinched slightly. She probably should have made a run for it once Palpatine was contained, but where would she go? What would she do? Now Vader ...

·

· "Thank you for your assistance," the Sith said gravely.

·

· "Um, you're welcome?"

·

· "Would you care to join me as I flee this place? I pledge to guard your life since you hypothetically might marry my son."

·

· Mara blinked, "You don't want to be the Emperor? You are the obvious heir to the throne."

·

· Vader snorted loudly enough that the vocoder caught the noise, which sounded vaguely like a cranky swamp turkey.

·

· "No, Jade, I have no desire to run the Empire. Politicians are, with very rare exceptions, extremely annoying. If I stay, I will end up killing a great many people out of sheer exasperation with the process."

·

· Mara frowned hideously, "I have no desire to be a clueless slave again so if you intend to rule over me, forget it. Just kill me now."

·

· Vader shook his head slowly, "Again, you might marry my son though the timeline may have changed so much that such an event will not happen. Nonetheless, I will not harm you and I will certainly not take you, or anyone else, as a _slave_."

·

· Mara sighed, "Ok, let's get out of here."

·

·

· /

· _Author Note: There was a Princess Bride quote in there!_

·

· _One more chapter for this timeline._

·

· _Also, we keep recovering from COVID. My husband and I continue to struggle with fatigue and I have back pain off and on, but mostly we are marching steadily toward better health. Hooray!_


End file.
